for  the 

SOUTHERN  PLANTER 

wmmmm 

By  CLINTON  CROW 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 

)\ 

FOR  THE 

SOUTHERN  PLANTER 


BY 


CLINTON  CROW 


ASSISTED  BY 


Prof.  C.  W.  WAUGHTEL,  A.  B. 


Complete  Instructions  from  Bedding  to  Harvesting  the 
Crop,  with  Chapter  on  Commercial  Sweet  Potato 
Plant  Growing  in  the  State  of  Florida. 


PUBLISHED  BY 

CROW  cV  RROGDOX 

Seville,  Georgia 


Copyright  1915 
By 

Southern  Printers,  Inc. 
Americus,  Ga. 


DEDICATORY. 


TO  THE  THOUSANDS  OF  HUSTLING  PLANTERS 
ALL  OVER  THE  SOUTH  WHO  ARE  BREAKING  AWAY 
FROM  THE  ONE-CROP  SYSTEM.  THIS  ROOK  IS  RE- 
SPECTFULLY DEDICATED  BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


https  ://arch  i ve . o rg/detai  Is/sweetpotatocu  ItuOl  crow 


PREFACE 


The  courtesy  of  correspondents,  the  co-operation 
of  ttie  leading  growers  and  shippers  of  Ihe  South,  and 
our  own  knowledge  of  the  sweet  potato,  acquired 
through  years  of  re-search  and  study,  enables  us  to 
set  forth  in  this  book  all  the  informabon  necessary  to 
proper  cultivation  of  this  luscious  tuber. 

This  treatise,  if  properly  observed,  will  result  in 
the  greatest  possible  good  to  Southern  farmers  en- 
gaged in  the  sweet  potato  industry. 

Intelligent  culture  is  the  only  means  of  rendering 
any  farming  industry  more  profitable,  and  the  great 
mass  of  our  farming  people  know  comparatively  noth- 
ing of  sweet  potato  culture,  hence  they  fail.  They 
fail  in  variety  because  they  know  not  its  adaptabili- 
ties; they  fail  in  production  because  they  know  not 
their  soil  requirements;  they  fail  in  storage  because 
they  know  not  when  to  harvest,  how  to  harvest,  and 
how  to  store  for  sure  keeping. 

The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  place  at  the  farmer’s 
command  all  information,  in  a practical  manner,  that 
will  lead  up  to  a more  intelligent  culture  of  his  sweet 
potato  crop. 

The  late  Ben  Hill  said  “That  the  farming  indus- 
try was  the  greatest  single  industry  in  the  world,” 
and  we  verily  believe  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
the  South  will  recognize  the  growing  of  her  sweet 


potato  as  tier  most  important  individual  farming  in- 
dustry. 

In  collecting  and  arranging  the  matter  contained 
in  this  work,  we  have  considered- well  as  to  its  source 
and  reliability  and  can  conscientiously  recommend 
every  suggestion  offered  on  the  sweet  potato  in  this 
book  as  authoritatively  correct. 

Of  course  there  are  differences  of  opinion  advanc- 
ed by  various  authorities  which  are  caused,  not  by  an 
error  of  the  brain  hut  by  local  physical  conditions. 

We  respectfully  submit  the  (took  on  its  merits, 
which  we  trust  will  gain  the  confidence  of  Southern 
farmers  and  prove  a blessing  to  the  potato  cause. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Page 


CHAPTER  I — Introduction. 9 

CHAPTER  II— Adaptation 11 

CHAPTER  III — Varieties 13 

CHAPTER  IV — Bedding,  Seed  Selecting,  Etc IS 

CHAPTER  V — Preparation  of  Soil 27 


CHAPTER  VI — Fertilizers,  Methods  of  Application 

CHAPTER  VII — Transplanting,  Time  to  Set,  Methods, 


Cutting  Vines 40 

CHAPTER  VIII— Cultivation 52 

CHAPTER  IX — Harvesting  and  Storing 57 

CHAPTER  X — Marketing 65 

CHAPTER  XI  “Conclusion 70 


CHAPTER  XII — Commercial  Sweet  Potato  Plant  Grow- 


ing in  tlie  State  of  Florida 


74 


CLINTON  CROW 


MR.  E.  V.  BROGDON 

Junior  Member  of  the  Firm  of  Crow  & Brogdon. 


INTRODUCTION 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE  SWEET  POTATO. 

The  sweet  potato  with  its  long  creeping  vines, 
halberd-shaped  leaves  and  projecting  lobes,  its  pur- 
ple blossoms  and  close-clustered  seed,  tells  us  very 
plainly  it  belongs  to  the  Morning  Glory  family. 

As  to  the  native  country  of  the  Sweet  Potato  we 
know  nothing  definitely,  however  it  stands  to  reason 
that  the  Sweet  Potato  originated  in  a country  whose 
climate,  soil  and  seasons  are  best  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  a well  matured  potato.  It  might  have 
originated  in  one  of  our  extreme  Southeastern  States 
or  in  the  West  Indies.  Some  authorities  say  Brazil 
is  the  origin  while  others  say  it  originated  in  East 
India. 

While  the  Sweet  Potato  is  evidently  a member  of 
the  Morning  Glory  family;  yet.  strange  to  say,  it  has 
never  been  known  to  grow  wild  as  is  so  characteristic 
of  the  Morning  Glory.  So  far  as  we  know  the  Sweet 
Potato  is  purely  domestic. 

The  Sweet  Potato  will  produce  fairly  well  in 
many  sections  of  the  country,  but  there  are  few 
places  in  all  the  world  where  it  will  mature  perfectly 
- — where- the  vines  blossom  yielding  well-ripened  seed- 


10 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


lings,  and  where  the  potatoes  are  uniform  in  both 
size  and  color. 

There  is  no  crop  grown  in  which  there  is  so  much 
confusion  of  names  as  in  the  growing  of  Sweet  Pota- 
toes. Every  community  puts  a different  construction 
on  the  word  “Yam.”  We  will  go  further  in  details 
when  we  reach  the  chapter  on  varieties. 

The  Sweet  Potato,  next  to  corn,  is  the  most  im- 
portant commercial  food  crop.  The  chances  are  that  in 
ten  years  it  will  be  the  most  important. 

The  questions  asked  more  frequently  than  any 
other  in  the  growing  of  Sweet  Potatoes  are  "How 
many  bushels  can  be  made  per  acre,  and  what  will 
an  acre  produce  in  dollars  and  cents?”  The  yield 
per  acre  will  depend  on  the  nature  of  the  soil,  cultiva- 
tion, climatic  conditions  and  fertilizers.  We  have 
known  successful  potato  growers  who  would  one  year 
make  two  to  three  hundred  bushels  per  acre,  and  the 
next  year  would  not  make  over  fifty  bushels.  They 
would  attribute  the  failure  to  the  season. 

Profits  per  acre  can  only  he  determined  by  the 
cost  of  the  fertilizer  material,  amount  paid  out  for 
plants,  labor,  and  the  number  of  bushels  sold  and 
the  price  received  per  bushel.  Of  course  one  must 
figure  the  value  of  those  fed  to  the  stock  and  those 
used  at  the  table.  This  item  alone  of  raising  what 
we  eat  and  consume  on  the  farm  is  worth  more  to 
the  South  than  we  can  estimate. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


11 


CHAPTER  II. 


ADAPTATION. 

The  Sweet  Potato  does  its  best  in  any  locality 
where  the  soil  is  a light,  porous,  sandy  loam,  rich  in 
humus  and  where  the  weather  is  warm  for  at  least 
four  months  in  the  year. 

The  Sweet  Potato  does  well  in  all  the  cotton 
states,  as  well  as  certain  sections  of  the  central  west. 
Delaware  and  New  Jersey. 

The  writer  made  'recent  experiments  in  New 
York.  Michigan.  Indiana,  Ohio.  Nevada  and  Califor- 
nia with  the  Nancy  Hall  and  Triumph.  The  reports 
I bus  far  received  are  very  satisfactory.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that  in  the  sandy  soils  of  many  of  the  north- 
ern states  the  Sweet  Potato  would  do  well  if  tried  and 
become  a commercial  crop  to  those  sections;  but,  as 
we  are  writing  our  book  for  Southern  farmers,  we 
will  not  give  any  of  the  reports  received  from  these 
sections  in  the  north  and  west  in  which  we  have  ex- 
perimented. 

We  have  never  known  a crop  to  fail  on  new 
ground  well  prepared  and  full  of  humus  and  potash, 
no  matter  what  .locality,  provided  the  season  and 
warmth- lasted  for  a period  of  at  least  three  and  one- 
half  months.  As  the  value  of  the  Sweet  Potato  and 
ils  adaptations  to  soil  and  climatic  conditions  become 
better  known,  it  will  be  grown  successfully  in  new 
areas  in  which  it  was  thought  impossible  to  grow 
Sweet  Potatoes. 

In  concluding  this  chapter  we  wish  to  caution 
prospective  Potato  growers  not  to  undertake  to  plant 
land  deficient  in  humus;  nor  low,  wet.  soggy  land, 


12 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


in  Sweet  Potatoes.  If  a crop  were  raised  on  such 
land  the  quality  would  be  very  inferior  and  such  po- 
tatoes would  not  sell  on  the  market  nor  keep  any 
length  of  time  if  banked  or  housed  ever  so  carefully. 
There  is  so  much  good  land  especially  adapted  to  the 
growing  of  Sweet  Potatoes  in  every  Southern  state 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  risk  a crop  on  land  not 
adapted  to  its  successful  growth. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


13 


CHAPTER  III. 


VARIETIES. 

There  is  no  phase  of  the  sweet  potato  growing  in 
which  there  is  as  much  confusion  us  in  the  names  of 
Hie  different  varieties.  One  of  tiie  questions  frequently 
asked  by  the  prospective  grower,  is  "What  kind  would 
you  advise  me  to  plant?”  The  answer  is  easy  enough 
if  one  knew  what  type  of  potato  he  liked  or  knew  tiis 
markets. 

There  are  two  distinct  types  of  the  sweet  potato, 
and  the  leading  varieties  of  each  type  can  be  counted 
on  the  tips  of  your  fingers.  This  may  seem  confusing 
when  there  are  about  one-hundred  varieties  listed  in 
the  United  States.  The  explanation  is  that  there  are 
many  of  this  number  the  same,  assuming  different 
names  in  different  localities.  A few  years  ago  a man 
by  the  name  of  Baker  ordered  some  Triumph  plants 
from  a Florida  grower;  and  now  the  neighbors  in 
Baker’s  neighborhood  call  it  the  “Baker"  potato.  And 
again  another  party  ordered  the  Porto  Rico  from  some 
dealer  in  Alabama,  and  now  he  and  his  neighbors  call 
it  the  “Alabama  Red."  In  another  section  of  Georgia 
a minister  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  church  ordered  a 
potato  from  some  grower,  and  in  after  years  the  neigh- 
bors called  it  the  “Hardshell.” 

The  above  examples  are  given  to  show  how  easily 
names  originate. 

The  two  types  most  usually  used  by  writers  on 
the  subject  are  the  “Jersey  Type”  and  “Southern  Yam.” 
The  former  type  includes  such  varieties  as  the  Big- 
Stem  Jersey,  the  Southern  Queen,  West  India,  Yellow 
Jersey  and  the  Triumph,  while  the  Yam  type  consists 
of  such  varieties  as  the  “Nancy  Hall.  Porto  Rico,  Red 


14 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


Providence,  Norton  or  Dooly  Yam,  Golden  Beauty  and 
the  Bed  Yam.”  We  might  mention  right  here  that  the 
word  “Yam”  is  used  in  a different  sense  in  different 
sections  of  Die  country.  By  most  people  it  is  meant  to 
include  a distinct  type;  while  others  use  it  for  a dis- 
tinct variety.  We  might  mention  here  that  the  Jer- 
sey type  consists  of  all  varieties  of  sweet  potatoes  of 
whatever  name,  that  are  light  in  color  inside,  with  a 
dry,  mealy  texture.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Yam  type 
includes  all  these  varieties  of  whatever  name,  that  are 
of  a wet.  juicy,  sugary  texture.  Some  authorities  make 
three  distinct  types,  including  the  large,  course  kind  as 
a separate  type  which  are  ordinarily  known  as  the 
stock  potato.  We  prefer  to  give  them  in  two  types 
and  then  treat  in  classes  according  to  use,  namely: 
table  varieties  and  stock  varieties.  The  table  varie- 
ties include  all  potatoes  of  either  type  that  are  of  a 
fine  texture;  the  stock  varieties  include  a large,  coarse, 
stringy  kind,  and  chief  among  this  class  we  might 
mention  the  Shanghai,  California  Yam,  San  Domingo, 
the  Brazilian  Yam,  the  West  India  Yam  and  Davis' 
Enormous. 

As  a usual  thing  the  stock  potatoes  will  out  yield 
any  of  the  othpr  kinds,  but  the  writer  has  tested  sev- 
eral of  the  above  named  varieties  and  found  none,  in- 
cluding Davis'  Enormous,  that  would  yield  as  well  as 
the  Triumph. 

We  wish  especially  to  impress  upon  the  South- 
ern grower  the  importance  of  raising  these  stock  varie- 
ties for  his  own  feed  on  the  farm.  It  has  been  demon- 
strated in  nearly  all  experiment  stations  of  the  differ- 
ent Southern  states,  that  sweet  potatoes,  when  fed 
with  a grain  ration,  make  an  excellent  feed  for  hogs, 
cows  and  horses. 

All  varieties  will  do  better  in  certain  localities. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


15 


contrary  to  the  views  of  some  growers  who  seem  to 
think  that  any  variety  will  do  as  well  in  one  section 
as  in  another.  This  is  all  wrong.  The  writer  has 
made  several  experiments  and  some  varieties  yielded 
five  times  as  many  potatoes  as  other  varieties,  though 
all  were  planted  the  same  day  under  like  conditions. 
The  Georgia  Experiment  Farm  has  made  like  experi- 
ments with  different  varieties  and  has  tabulated  the 
results. 

We  would  ask  that  any  one  wishing  this  informa- 
lion.  drop  a card  to  the  above  named  institution  for 
(he  bulletin  treating  on  Ibis  subject. 

11  might  be  a good  plan  not  to  plant  all  your  crop 
of  one  kind  until  you  have  found  the  one  best  adapted 
to  your  soil,  location  and  climatic  conditions. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  VARIETIES. 

NANCY  HALL — The  most  popular  potato  in  the 
South.  Tubers  elliptical  in  shape,  much  like  the  Dooly 
or  Norton  Yam.  The  skin  is  light  yellow,  the  flesh 
deep  yellow;  cooks  soft  and  juicy.  A good  keeper  and 
a powerful  producer.  In  some  sections,  however,  this 
potato  is  inclined  to  blight.  The  vine  is  a short  stubby 
bunch,  with  large  thick  round  leaves,  with  a purple 
pip  at  the  end  of  stem  next  to  leaf,  but  no  red  veins  on 
leaf. 

THE  GOLDEN  BEAUTY — Skin  light  red;  flesh  a 
deep  golden,  and  quality  very  good.  Tubers  oval,  and 
inclined  to  be  long.  Yield  is  great.  A very  desirable 
potato.  The  vines  are  long,  with  a forked  leaf,  and 
red  veins  under  leaf.  Vines  much  like  Triumph  only 
longer,  and  again  it  resembles  the  Porto  Rico  only 
leaves  not  so  regular. 

RED  PROVIDENCE— Similar  to  Nancy  Hall  in 


16 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


every  particular  except  the  leaves  are  likened  unto 
those  of  the  violet.  The  yield  is  immense  and  the 
quality  even  better  than  the  Nancy  Hall.  This  potato 
will  supercede  the  Nancy  Hall  in  the  next  ten  years. 

PORTO  RICO — Very  Similar  to  Golden  Beauty. 
This  is  a fine  potato  in  texture  and  quality.  The  skin 
is  pink.  The  potatoes  are  shapely  and  if  grown  care- 
fully many  of  marketable  size  can  be  obtained.  Vines 
are  very  long  and  dense.  Leaves  regular.  It  is  free 
from  blight. 

RED  YAM — (Sugar  Yam.  Georgia  Yam,  Pumpkin 
Yam.)  Is  a great  vielder  under  favorable  conditions. 
It  is  usually  a late  potato.  It  is  an  excellent  market 
potato  for  the  South.  It  is  a good  keeper.  The  vines 
are  long,  with  forked  leaf.  Many  farmers  have  bred 
this  potato  for  years  and  will  have  no  other. 

MYERS’  EARLY — Similar  to  Nancy  Hall.  The 
writer  planted  the  two  varieties  side  by  side  and  could 
not  tell  the  difference  in  yield,  earliness,  or  quality. 

TRIUMPH  -This  is  a seedling,  produced  by  Prof. 
T.  K.  Godbey  of  Waldo.  Florida.  It  is  all  its  originator 
claims  for  it.  The  tubers  are  oval,  inclined  to  be  long. 
The  skin  is  a dirty  white,  and  the  flesh  is  a creamy 
white.  Mealy  in  texture  and  free  from  strings.  If 
enough  marketable  potatoes  could  be  obtained  this 
would  be  the  variety  to  grow  for  the  Northern  markets. 
This  potato  is  a wonderful  yielder.  It  outyielded  by 
25  per  cent  seven  different  varieties  in  a test  made  by 
the  writer  several  years  ago.  The  vines  are  thrifty, 
leaves  forked,  with  red  veins  under  side,  bunched  and 
free  from  blight. 

BIG  STEM  JERSEY — One  of  the  best  varieties  of 
the  Jersey  type,  and  one  of  the  earliest  sweet  potatoes 
known,  has  cream  colored  skin  with  light  pink  streaks; 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


17 


oval  shaped,  and  never  cracks,  has  slender  vines  that 
run  at  great  length.  This  potato  is  a great  producer. 

ENORMOUS — A stock  potato,  skin  white,  and 
flesh  white  cream.  Texture  rough.  Potatoes  grow 
very  large.  Specimens  from  5 pounds  to  12  pounds 
are  not  uncommon.  Excellent  for  stock.  It  is  also 
grown  by  those  for  the  table  who  like  a mealy,  choky 
potato.  Vines  something  like  Triumph  only  longer. 

YELLOW  JERSEY— Skin  yellow  .flesh  light  yel- 
low inside.  Potatoes  not  large.  Many  of  marketable 
size  as  wanted  in  the  Northern  markets.  This  is  prob- 
ably the  potato  that  can  be  bred  up  to  the  require- 
ments. Vines  rather  slender  and  not  so  thrifty  looking 
as  some  of  the  Yam  varieties. 


18 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


CHAPTER  IV. 


BEDDING. 

There  are  many  ways  of  bedding  out  sweet  pota- 
toes in  different  sections  of  the  South  in  order  to 
grow  plants.  In  the  cooler  sections,  where  the  season 
is  late  and  the  sweet  potato  is  grown  for  the  early 
market,  artificial  heat  is  used.  Some  large  plant 
growers  have  extensive  steam  heat  appliances:  somr 
use  the  tile  furnace  system,  while  others  use  the  old- 
fashioned  hot  bed  method  which  is  the  simplest  and 
most  effective  way  of  getting  plants  on  a small  scale. 

The  cold  frame  method  of  raising  plants  is  ex- 
tensively used  all  over  the  South  by  plant  growers. 
The  results  are  practically  the  same  as  with  hot  bed. 
only  the  plants  are  from  ten  days  to  twenty  days 
later.  In  the  warm  sections  of  the  South,  and  other 
sections  where  the  plants  are  wanted  for  the  general 
crop,  beds  are  made  in  the  open  field  without  any 
artificial  heat. 

HOT  BEDS. 

As  to  the  size  of  a hot  bed.  it  is  immaterial  so 
far  as  results  are  concerned;  however,  it  is  well  not  to 
have  any  plant  bed  too  wide.  We  would  suggest  five 
feet  as  a good  width  so  that  the  plants  can  be  drawn 
easily  from  the  sides  of  the  bed  without  getting  on 
with  the  feet.  The  length  of  a bed  is  absolutely  imma- 
terial. We  would  suggest  a south  side  location  for 
the  hot  bed.  Spade  out  the  soil  to  a depth  of  twelve 
to  fifteen  inches  to  the  size  you  want  your  bed;  put 
the  boards  around  the  side  until  the  back  part  of  ttie 
bed  is  about  eight  inches  higher  than  the  front.  This 
will  give  it  a nice  slope.  In  the  bottom  of  this  bed 
place  at  least  a foot  of  fresh  stable  manure,  prefer- 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


19 


ably  from  that  of  the  horse  stable.  Some  very  good 
authorities  use  two-thirds  horse  manure  and  one- 
third  cow  manure.  Pack  this  manure  well  into  the 
bed,  then  cover  with  a depth  of  about  three  inches 
with  sand  or  porous  soil ; level  the  bed,  then  place 
the  seed  potatoes  on  top  so  that  they  will  he  about 
one-half  inch  apart.  This  is  done  so  that  if  a potato 
should  rot  that  the  disease  will  not  spread  over  the 
whole  bed.  When  the  potatoes  are  thus  laid  on  the 
sand,  then  cover  to  a depth  of  from  one  to  two  inches 
with  good  sandy  soil,  or  porous  loam  if  the  sand  can- 
not be  had.  Some  very  successful  growers  in  the 
sections  where  it  can  be  had.  go  to  the  woods  where 
logs  and  trees  are  rotted  and  get  the  soil  from  along- 
side these  logs  and  place  it  on  top  of  the  potatoes  in- 
stead of  the  sand.  Our  experience  has  been  that  the 
potatoes  will  be  less  apt  to  be  attacked  by  any  dis- 
eases, if  sand  is  used. 

Keep  the  sash  on  the  beds  until  the  weather  is 
warm,  ventilate  with  cracks  by  propping  the  sashes, 
being  careful  not  to  get  too  much  cold  air.  Every  day 
f he  bed  should  be  examined  to  see  that  it  is  not  too 
hot.  It  might  be  well  to  use  a thermometer  for  Ibis 
purpose,  and  whenever  the  heat  should  rise  to  about 
90  degrees  Fahrenheit,  give  the  bed  a little  more  air. 
If  the  heat  still  continues  to  rise,  make  tiny  little  holes 
to  the  potatoes  about  twelve  inches  apart,  and  in  a 
few  hours  Ibis  will  have  the  desired  results. 

Very  little  water  should  be  put  on  the  hot  bed 
during  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  days.  In  fact,  our  ex- 
perience has  been  to  use  no  water  at  all  as  it  is  apt 
to  make  the  bed  too  hot.  When  the  plants  begin  to 
make  their  appearance  we  give  them  more  air;  and 
during  the  warm  part  of  the  day,  while  the  sun  is 
shining,  we  take  the  glass  off  entirely.  As  the  plants 


20 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


become  greener  and  accustomed  to  the  outside  air. 
we  leave  the  sash  off  altogether,  except  on  cold  days. 
This  process  will  harden  the  plants.  When  they  are 
six  inches  high  we  draw  them  from  the  potatoes  and 
plant  them  in  the  field.  If  the  ridges  are  not  prepared 
we  heel  the  plants  out  in  a good  place,  as  described  in 
another  chapter,  until  they  are  wanted. 

The  question  is  often  asked  at  what  time  we 
should  make  our  hot  bed  in  order  to  get  plants.  This 
depends  entirely  on  when  you  want  your  draws.  We 
generally  make  an  allowance  of  about  twenty-five 
days,  as  in  that  time,  if  the  bed  is  properly  construct- 
ed, plants  can  be  drawn  from  it. 

Another  question  often  asked  is.  "How  large 
shall  I make  my  hot  bed  in  order  to  get  plants  enough 
for  an  acre?”  Such  a question  cannot  be  answered 
definitely  as  this  depends  on  both  the  size  and  variety 
of  the  seed.  The  smaller  the  potato  bedded  the  more 
space  they  will  take  up  to  the  bushel  on  the  bed;  then 
again,  some  varieties  will  yield  twice  as  many  plants 
as  others.  One  plant  grower  says  that  one  peck  of 
good  seed,  carefully  bedded,  makes  him  plants  enough 
to  give,  a yield  of  fifteen  bushels.  This,  of  course,  is 
very  indefinite.  Another  grower  says  that  thirty-five 
bushels  of  good  seed  well  bedded,  gave  him  sixty- 
thousand  plants.  Of  course,  as  we  have  just  said,  it 
will  all  depend  on  the  variety  and  the  size  of  the 
seed. 

COLD  FRAMES. 

The  Cold  Frame  method  of  raising  plants  is  ex- 
tensively used  all  over  the  South  by  truckers  and  plant 
growers.  The  results  are  practically  the  same  as  with 
a hot  bed.  only  the  plants  are  from  ten  to  twenty 
days  later.  The  same  material  is  used  in  fitting  up  a 
cold  frame  as  in  that  of  a hot  bed,  the  only  difference 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


21 


being  that  cloth  of  some  kind  is  used  instead  of  glass, 
and  in  some  sections  no  covering  at  all  is  used. 

OPEN  FIELD  BEDS. 

The  majority  of  the  plant  growers  use  this  method. 
See  the  illustrations  given  'in  this  book  showing 
trenches  made  in  the  open  field,  and  notice  the  seed 
beds.  In  this  method  no  boards  are  used,  and  many 
use  no  stable  manure;  however,  even  for  this  method, 
a layer  of  three  or  four  inches  of  stable  manure  would 
be  a decided  help  in  warming  up  the  soil  and  acting 
as  a tonic  to  the  plants  and  thus  hasten  their  growth 
ten  to  fifteen  days. 

In  selecting  a site  for  your  cold  frame,  or  open- 
field  beds,  be  sure  to  get  close  to  a water  supply.  A 
week  of  dry  weather  may  cost  you  a loss  of  many  dol- 
lars. 

SELECTED  SEED. 

There  is  an  old  saying  that  “Like  Begets  Like.” 
Applying  this  principle  in  sweet  potato  growing,  is 
it  not  reasonable  that  small,  deformed  and  diseased 
potatoes  will  produce  an  inferior  crop?  We  believe 
that  the  sweet  potato,  being  almost  immune  to  dis- 
eases. that  we  never  need  fear  of  any  dangerous  dis- 
eases if  care  be  taken  in  seed  selection.  The  same 
care  in  selecting  for  seed  should  be  used  as  in  grading 
for  the  markets.  (See  chapter  on  Marketing). 

We  wish  to  urge  upon  every  farmer,  building  at 
least  one  hot  bed;  he  ought  to  have  two  or  more. 
Think  of  the  many  good  things  you  can  raise  in  the 
winter  months  with  a couple  of  hot  beds,  few  cold 
frames  and  a winter  garden.  The  grocery  bill  can  be 
cut  in  half. 

The  following  articles  on  bedding  are  of  inter- 
est because  they  are  backed  by  experience : 


22 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


“HOW  I BED  SWEET  POTATOES.” 

By  W.  T.  Brittain,  Wbitesburg,  Georgia.  March  2, 
1915. — Southern  Ruralist 

“As  it  is  time  to  bed  potatoes,  and  1 see  so  much 
about  how  to  make  a hot  bed,  I will  give  the  readers 
my  plan  and  never  have  failed  to  get  slips  in  12  days. 
First  dig  out  the  size  bed  you  want.  8 inches  deep, 
put  6-inch  boards  around,  fill  up  with  pine  straw, 
pack  down  tight,  then  put  4 or  6 inches  of  fresh  stable 
manure  on  that;  then  pack  it.  Go  to  the  woods,  around 
old  logs,  and  get  the  light  dirt  and  put  it  about  1 1-  or 
2 inches  on  manure,  then  put  potatoes  close  but  not 
let  them  touch  each  other.  Press  them  in  the  dirt, 
then  cover  with  same  kind  of  dirt,  and  just  get  them 
covered,  and  when  the  potatoes  begin  to  slip,  cover 
about  one  inch  deeper.  Keep  rain  off  bed  by  covering 
with  plank  water-bed.  After  slips  come  up.  take 
plank  off  when  not  raining.” 

We  quote  another  article  by  J.  R.  Davis,  of  Bar- 
low.  Florida,  one  of  the  greatest  truck  growers  in  the 
South : 

BEDDING  THE  SEED. 

“The  methods  practiced  in  bedding  out  the  tubers 
for  slips  are  different  in  the  northern  area  from  those 
practiced  in  the  South.  As  this  work  is  applicable 
only  to  operations  in  the  South  I shall  not  discuss  the 
steam-heated  appliances  used  in  the  extreme  area. 
For  the  extreme  southern  area  very  little  stable  ma- 
nure is  required  and  sash  may  be  dispensed  with  al- 
together. If  artificial  heat  is  desired  light  canvas 
can  be  treated  with  linseed  oil  and  drawn  over  the 
beds  so  as  to  exclude  as  much  air  as  possible  and  by 
this  means  the  temperature  may  be  raised  as  much  as 
20  degrees.  For  the  southern  portion  of  the  Gulf 
states  I would  advise  opening  out  beds  six  feet  in 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


23 


width  by  scooping  out  about  two  inches  of  dirt,  run- 
ning the  beds  east  and  west.  Fill  the  bottom  of  this 
bed  with  two  to  four  inches  of  stable  manure.  Place 
(be  seed  potatoes  directly  upon  the  manure  allowing 
about  one  inch  between  each  potato.  Then  cover  with 
just  enough  dirt  to  hide  the  tuber.  Then  lay  over  the 
bed  a piece  of  poultry  wire  with  1 % inch  mesh  and 
six  feet  wide.  When  the  sprouts  begin  to  push  through 
the  soil,  throw  on  two  inches  more  of  dirt.  The  shal- 
low covering,  by  keeping  the  tubers  near  the  surface, 
induces  early  sprouting  and  thereby  minimizes  the 
danger  of  rotting  before  sprouting  begins.  The  poul- 
try wire  is  used  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  po- 
tato from  being  pulled  up  while  drawing  the  slips.  A 
light  coating  of  pine  straw  will  answer  the  same  pur- 
pose as  the  poultry  wire.  If  it  is  desirable  to  use  ar- 
tificial heat,  light  canvas  treated  with  linseed  oil  may 
be  drawn  tightly  over  the  beds  as  soon  as  they  are 
prepared.  Where  the  canvas  is  used  it  will  be  nec- 
essary to  use  a ten-inch  plank  around  the  bed  with 
cross  pieces  eight  feet  apart  and  small  wire  strung 
up  on  these  to  support  the  canvas.  The  covering  can 
be  sewed  up  in  100  or  150  feet  lengths  and  rolled  up 
on  a pole  when  it  is  desirable  to  remove  it.  This 
canvas  also  furnishes  a protection  against  late  frosts, 
which  sometimes  occur.  When  the  slips  have  at- 
tained a length  of  seven  or  eight  inches  they  should 
lie  drawn  out  allowing  others  to  take  their  place. 
All  grass  and  weeds  should  be  kept  pulled  out  and 
the  bed  kept  well  watered,  using  water  after  each 
pulling  of  slips.  For  areas  further  north,  where  it 
is  colder,  it  will  be  found  necessary  to  use  more  stable 
manure,  hut  oiled  canvas  may  take  the  place  of  sash 
in  almost  any  territory  in  the  South  where  sweet  po- 
tatoes are  grown.  For  more  northern  localities  8 to 
12  inches  of  fresh  stable  manure  should  be  trampled 


24 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


into  the  bottom  of  the  bed  and  covered  with  about 
two  inches  of  good  top  soil.  The  oiled  canvas  or 
sash,  as  the  case  may  be,  should  then  be  placed  over 
the  bed  as  tightly  as  possible  and  allowed  to  remain 
until  the  temperature  reaches  about  80  degrees  at 
midday.  When  the  temperature  reaches  this  point 
the  potatoes  should  be  placed  as  before  directed  and 
the  bed  finished  in  the  same  manner  as  described. 
Then  give  the  bed  a light  wetting  and  cover  with 
sash  or  cloth.  Thermometers  should  be  relied  upon  to 
indicate  the  temperature,  which  should  never  rise 
above  80  degrees  at  midday.  In  such  an  event  the 
cover  should  be  removed  temporarily  in  order  to  re- 
duce the  temperature.  Where  sash  are  used  they 
should  always  slope  to  the  south,  and  the  north  side 
of  the  bed  should  be  six  to  ten  inches  higher  than  the 
south.  The  time  when  the  seed  should  be  bedded 
will  depend  of  course  on  the  latitude  in  which  they 
are  planted.  Usually  they  should  be  bedded  about 
four  weeks  in  advance  of  the  time  of  planting.  The 
potatoes  should  be  bedded  on  a warm  bright  day 
and  not  allowed  to  become  chilled.  Several  days 
prior  to  making  the  first  pullings  the  covers  should 
be  removed  in  order  to  harden  up  the  plants.  This 
should  be  done  by  taking  off  the  covers  for  a few 
hours  the  first  day  and  giving  a little  more  sun- 
shine each  day  in  order  to  harden  them  up  gradually. 

SELECTING  SEED. 

The  growing  of  sweet  potato  slips  for  commer- 
cial purposes  is  becoming  quite  an  industry  in  the 
South.  Many  millions  of  plants  are  shipped  each 
year  from  Florida  into  states  further  north.  The 
growing  demand  for  Florida  grown  slips  is  perhaps 
due  to  the  fact,  that  the  Florida  climate  is  favorable 
to  this  crop  and  the  plants  grown  there  produce  more 


From  Farmers’  Bulletin  107,  Georgia  Experiment  Station. 
Figure  No.  4 — Varieties  of  Sweet  Potatoes,  1913 — 1.  Vineless 
Bunch;  2.  Triumph;  3.  Georgia  Yam;  4.  Jersey  Yellow;  5. 
Enormous;  6.  Jersey  Red;  7.  Providence;  8.  Improved  Gold- 
en Beauty;  9.  Porto  Rico  Yam;  10.  Southern  Queen;  11. 
Buck  Yam;  12.  Big  Stem  Jersey;  13.  Pumpkin  Yam;  14. 
Golden  Beauty. 


Bedding  Sweet  Potatoes 


Mr.  Matchett’s  Nancy  Hall  Sweet  Potato  Beds  at  Pinecastle,  Fla. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


25 


than  those  grown  further  north.  As  the  writer  has 
been  in  this  line  of  business  for  many  years,  and  has 
had  a good  opportunity  to  gather  some  good  informa- 
tion. it  might  be  well  to  say  something  in  reference  to 
the  selection  of  seed.  It  is  almost  a universal  prac- 
tice among  both  growers  and  dealers  to  select  the 
smallest  specimens  from  which  to  grow  plants.  This 
practice  is  directly  opposed  to  the  laws  of  nature,  and 
why  it  is  the  universal  practice  I am  unable  to  say. 
It  is  utilizing  the  small  potatoes  which  are  unsaleable, 
and  this  is  the  only  reason  that  can  be  given  for  the 
custom.  There  is  no  question  about  the  degeneration 
of  any  plant  which  is  continually  propagated  from 
the  smallest  and  most  inferior  specimens,  and  the  rule 
will  apply  to  any  plant.  In  my  opinion  this  erroneous 
practice  is  accountable  for  the  “running  out”  of  pota- 
toes and  unfruitfulness  which  we  often  hear  about. 

In  selecting  seed  each  year  I make  it  a practice 
to  select  all  the  largest  and  best  shaped  specimens 
and  separate  these  from  the  smaller  potatoes.  Each 
one  of  these  large  potatoes  is  then  split  in  half  and 
examined.  If  it  does  not  show  the  required  color  or 
shape  it  is  thrown  aside.  If  it  comes  up  to  standard 
of  color,  shape  and  texture,  it  is  taken  to  a seed  stock 
bed  and  bedded  separately.  From  this  seed  stock  bed 
all  my  next  season’s  planting  are  made  and  by  care- 
ful selection  I have  greatly  increased  the  yield  as  well 
as  quality,  and  I would  recommend  it  to  all  who  wish 
to  grow  potatoes  for  profit.  In  1011.  I gathered  from 
the  “Golden  Beauty,”  a yellow  flesh  yam.  756  bushels 
per  acre.  This  large  yield  was  attributable  to  a large 
extent  to  careful  breeding.  In  bedding  stock  for  seed 
the  large  potatoes  should  be  split  in  half  and  placed 
under  sash  or  oiled  cloth  with  cut  side  up  and  al- 
lowed to  dry  for  a week  before  bedding  out.  This 


26 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


drying  of  the  cut  surface  lias  a tendency  to  prevent 
rotting.  When  they  are  bedded,  however,  they  should 
he  placed  cut  side  down.” 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


27 


CHAPTER  V. 


SOIL  PREPARATJON. 

The  preparation  of  the  land  is  a very  important 
step  in  the  growing  of  nice  sweet  potatoes.  Most 
authorities  say  plow  deep,  even  subsoil.  My  exper- 
ience is  that  in  order  to  grow  the  best  sized  potatoes 
for  market,  do  not  plow  deep,  as  the  potatoes  are  in- 
clined to  get  too  long.  This,  however,  is  not  a se- 
rious drawback  if  you  raise  for  your  own  use  and  for 
stock  purposes.  But  it  is  the  fancy  trade  we  must 
aim  at  if  we  ever  wish  to  make  sweet  potato  growing 
a commercial  success  in  the  South. 

The  Jersey  and  Delaware  growers  carefully  grow 
their  potatoes  so  as  to  get  as  many  oval  and  gradable 
potatoes  as  possible.  Then,  before  marketing  they 
make  several  grades  of  “choice,”  “extras”  and 
“primes’”  This  is  probably  the  reason  that  they  have 
the  monopoly  in  the  Eastern  and  Central  markets. 

The  soil  should  be  thoroughly  pulverized.  If  you 
put  your  fertilizer  on  broadcast  it  must  be  well  worked 
inlo  the  soil. 

Just  as  different  kinds  of  fertilizer  effect  the  color, 
texture  and  flavor  of  the  sweet  potato,  so  does  the 
preparation  of  the  soil  effect  the  size  and  shape  of 
the  potato.  The  writer  has  proven  both  these  facts  to 
his  entire  satisfaction  by  repeated  experiments.  The 
Georgia  Experiment  Station  has  also  demonstrated 
both  these  facts  in  recent  experiments,  and  in  their 
Bulletin  No.  107  give  exacl  conditions  of  the  various 
plats  in  which  the  experiments  were  conducted  rela- 
tive to  determining  both  the  effect  of  fertilizers  on 


2S 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


size,  and  smoothness  as  well  as  upon  the  flavor  and 
texture  of  the  potato. 

We  give  the  following  article  by  R.  T.  DeBerry. 
Assistant  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  for  West  Ten- 
nessee. In  the  first  paragraph  he  substantiates  our 
claims: 

“Preparation  of  the  soil  in  the  field  need  not 
necessarily  be  very  deep,  but  should  be  very  thorough. 
As  most  markets  demand  a short,  chunky  potato,  the 
land  need  not  he  plowed  to  a depth  of  more  than  four 
to  five  inches,  a greater  depth  of  plowing  tending 
to  produce  long,  unsightly  potatoes,  but  this  broken 
area 'should  be  harrowed  and  dragged  until  it  is  as 
fine  as  meal  if  possible.  This  can  be  done  much  more 
easily  and  rapidly  before  any  plants  are  put  out  than 
afterward,  and  where  this  is  done  as  it  should  be  the 
labor  necessary  in  cultivating  the  crop  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum,  not  much  cultivation  being  needed  except 
to  keep  down  weeds  and  grass  and  keep  a dust  mulch 
on  the  surface  until  the  plants  make  vine  enough  to 
cover  the  surface. 

The  grower  must,  of  course,  use  his  own  judg- 
ment as  to  what  tools  will  best  accomplish  this  pur- 
pose. If  the  ground  where  the  potatoes  are  to  be 
grown  is  well  filled  with  humus,  use  500  pounds  per 
acre  (if  desired)  of  a fertilizer  containing  2 per  cent 
ammonia,  8 per  cent  phosphoric  acid  and  6 per  cent 
potash.  On  land  not  well  filled  with  humus,  or  where 
the  potatoes  are  to  be  dug  and  sold  without  storing, 
the -ammonia  should  be  increased  to  4 or  5 per  cent  in 
the  fertilizer.  On  lands  where  the  accumulation  of 
nitrogen  from  legumes  or  from  their  having  been  used 
as  pastures  is  likely  to  be  sufficient,  this  element  may 
he  omitted  from  the  fertilizer  and  a potash  and  acid 
phosphate  mixture  alone  used.  Stable  manures  should 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


29 


never  be  used  for  either  Irish  or  sweet  potatoes  if  the 
application  can  not  be  made  lung  enough  befoire 
starting  the  crop  that  the  manure  will  have  become 
decayed  and  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  soil,  as 
it  has  a tendency  to  produce  vines  at  the  expense  of 
roots  or  tubers,  and  its  use  also  promotes  the  devel- 
opment of  fungus  diseases  which  may  seriously  dam- 
age the  yield  and  quality. 

“One  point  which  1 failed  to  mention  was  the 
method  of  handling  the  plants  when  transferring  to 
the  open  ground.  We  usually  either  dip  the  roots 
of  the  slips  in  clear  water,  drop  and  set  out  as  quickly 
as  possible,  or  we  make  a puddle  of  thin  mud  and 
dip  the  roots  in  this  and  then  set  out,  always  pressing 
l he  dirt  firmly  to  the  roots  to  insure  their  living. 

“When  you  have  a lot  of  slips  ready  to  take  off 
of  the  bed,  but  are  not  ready  to  set  them  in  the  field, 
they  should  be  pulled  off  and  heeled  out  in  fresh, 
moist  earth,  care  being  taken  to  spread  the  slips  out 
thinly  so  that  air  can  circulate  freely  among  them. 
Otherwise,  your  slips  may  rot  off.  If  the  slips  are 
properly  heeled  out  for  a few  days,  they  will  usually 
live  better  than  if  transferred  directly  from  the  bed 
to  the  open  ground.” 

RIDGES. 

It  is  not  advisable  to  throw  up  more  ridges  or 
rows  than  used  at  one  planting,  it  has  been  my 
observation  that  plants  set  into  the  rows  recently 
thrown  together  grew  off  better  and  more  thrifty 
from  the  start  and  made  a better  yield.  It  seems  the 
dirt  settles  with  the  plant  and  acts  as  a tonic.  A 
certain  grower  in  Florida  always  pulls  up  the  plant 
or  cuttings,  if  they  fail  to  get  a good  thrifty  start. 


30 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


This  grower  says  that  this  lesson  cost  him  ten  thous- 
and dollars. 

There  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion  in  re- 
gards to  high  and  low  ridges.  In  some  sections  the 
growers  make  the  ridges  from  a foot  to  a foot  and  a 
half  high.  These  growers  claim  the  potatoes  are  more 
easily  harvested  and  that  the  yield  is  better.  In  other 
sections  the  plants  are  set  on  a level,  and  good  crops 
are  reported.  In  some  sections  of  the  South,  a ridge 
or  row  is  not  used  at  all.  The  grower  takes  his  field 
and  plants  in  hills  slightly  elevated.  The  yields  re- 
ported from  these  growers  are  very  good. 

The  writer  made  an  experiment  a few  years  ago 
on  high  and  low  ridges.  The  yield  was  practically 
the  same.  The  soil  was  a light,  porous  sand  and  the 
potatoes  followed  the  commercial  fertilizer  and  were 
harder  to  gather  on  the  low  ridges  than  those  on  the 
higher  ridges.  A later  experiment  convinced  the 
writer  that  a ridge  about  8 or  10  inches  high,  unless 
the  ground  is  low  and  subject  to  overflow,  is  the  ideal 
ridge.  This  is  an  especially  desirable  ridge  for  a 
heavy  soil.  For  light,  sandy  land,  deficient  in  humus, 
we  would  surely  recommend  the  ridge  at  least  a foot 
high.  The  best  thing,  however,  for  each  planter,  is 
to  follow  the  best  advice  obtainable,  study  conditions, 
nature  of  his  land,  the  varieties  adapted  and  keep 
track  of  his  observations  with  pencil  and  book.  In 
this  way  he  will  soon  learn  the  best  methods,  the 
best  potatoes,  and  the  local  adaptations  of  varieties 
and  will  certainly  become  a successful  grower  of 
Sweet  Potatoes. 

The  following  article  on  Soil  Preparation  is  taken 
from  Bulletin  No.  107.  Georgia  Experiment  Station: 

“The  best  results  are  obtained  in  well  pulverized 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


31 


soil.  This  is  had  by  breaking  the  land  broadcast  to 
the  depth  of  eight  to  nine  inches  with  a two-horse 
disc  plow.  Following  this,  the  land  should  be  har- 
rowed with  a disc  harrow  and  laid  out  into  rows  four 
feet  apart.  Then,  after  the  fertilizers  are  applied,  the 
land  should  be  bedded  out  into  large  beds  by  running 
four  furrows,  two  rounds  to  each  row,  with  a large 
one-horse  turn  plow.  Following  the  bedding,  a one- 
horse  Acme  harrow  should  be  run  along  the  top  of 
each  hed.  The  mule  should  walk  on  the  center  of 
t lie  bed  and  the  man  should  ride  the  harrow.  In  this 
way.  the  harrow  crushes  the  clods  of  soil  and  tears 
down  the  bed,  leaving  it  well  pulverized  and  only  a 
few  inches  high.” 


32 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


CHAPTER  VI. 


FERTILIZERS. 

A very  important,  item  connected  with  successful 
Sweet  Potato  Growing  is  that  of  Fertilizers.  While 
some  experiments  show  no  appreciative  effect  on  the 
yield,  we  are  convinced  by  actual  experience  that  no 
piece  of  land  will  produce  a maximum  yield  of  po- 
tatoes without  fertilizers. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  fertilizers  in  common  use, 
being  Domestic  and  Commercial.  Many  growers  show 
the  best  results  are  obtained  by  using  a well  balanced 
commercial  fertilizer.  We  agree  with  them,  but  the 
cost  is  an  item  to  be  considered  for  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  a large  crop  of  the  tubers  is  not  always 
dependent  on  fertilizers  alone.  The  weather  condi- 
tions. time  of  planting,  soil  preparation  and  mechani- 
cal condition  of  the  land  all  have  an  important  bear- 
ing on  the  yield  of  the  crop. 

We  consider  those  who  have  plenty  of  stable 
manure  very  fortunate.  In  the  use  of  stable  manure 
we  would  recommend  100  pounds  of  acid  phosphate 
to  each  two-horse  load  of  manure.  This  may  be  ap- 
plied at  the  rate  of  eight  or  ten  loads  to  the  acre 
broadcast  at  least  thirty  or  forty  days  before  plant- 
ing time.  It  should  be  well  disced  in  the  land,  if 
well  rotted;  if  not  well  rotted  it  should  be  plowed 
under.  To  every  acre  of  potatoes  thus  planted  50  to 
75  pounds  of  potash  should  be  strewn  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  rows,  just  before  the  vines  meet,  as  this 
will  increase  the  yield  and  the  quality  of  the  potatoes. 

One  grower  in  South  Georgia  reports  that  he 
used  a compost  made  from  wiregrass  turf,  pine  need- 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


33 


les,  acid  phosphate  aud  black,  mucky  soil  tak- 
en from  the  swamps  and  along  creeks.  This  work  can 
he  done  in  winter  or  at  odd  times  when  at  leisure. 
In  this  way  he  gets  his  fertilizer  with  a small  outlay 
of  money.  The  results  are  excellent.  He  uses  about 
75  pounds  of  sulphate  of  potash,  strewn  along  the  mid- 
dle of  the  rows  when  the  vines  begin  to  run,  and  rakes 
it  in  with  a garden  rake.  To  those  who  want  to  try 
this  cheap  and  efficient  fertilizer  we  will  give  his 
method:  Build  a square  pen,  out  of  slabs  or  poles 
about  12  feet  square,  in  some  handy  place  back  of  the 
barn.  In  the  bottom  of  this  pen  he  puts  two  or  three 
loads  of  pine  needles  and  turf;  on  this  he  strews  25 
pounds  of  acid  phosphate;  then  on  top  of  this  he 
spreads  two  loads  of  muck,  and  so  on  at  intervals  un- 
til the  pen  is  filled  to  a height  of  six  feet.  When  the 
time  comes  to  use  the  compost  he  opens  one  end  of 
the  pen  and  chops  finely  with  a hoe  and  loads  on  a 
wag®,  and  applies  at  the  rate  of  six  to  eight  loads  per 
acre  in  shallow  furrows;  he  then  throws  the  ridges 
to  this  furrow. 

In  these  days  of  low  priced  cotton  and  a time 
when  the  farmers  of  the  South  are  experimenting 
with  diversification  of  crops,  we  cannot  emphasize 
too  strongly  this  method  of  making  your  own  fertili- 
zer and  thus  keep  your  money  at  home. 

Another  method  of  fertilizing  that  costs  very  lit- 
tle money  and  one  which  brings  good  results,  is  that  of 
“cow-penning.”  Of  course  this  method  presumes  that 
the  farmer  owns  a herd  of  cattle,  as  is  common  in 
South  Georgia  and  Florida.  A temporary  fence  is 
built  around  a small  piece  of  land  and  cows  penned 
on  this  piece  every  night  for  two  or  three  weeks, 
when  the  cattle  are  moved  to  an  adjoining  plat  and 
this  piece  is  then  “scootered”  and  left  lay  for  awhile, 


34 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


then  plowed,  ridged  and  planted.  Each  successive 
plat  is  then  treated  until  several  acres  are  planted, 
depending,  of  course,  on  the  size  of  his  herd  and  the 
time  he  begins  to  pen  his  cattle.  We  know  of  cer- 
tain new-ground  plats  thus  cow-penned  to  yield  as 
high  as  600  bushels  per  acre  without  the  use  of  any 
commercial  fertilizer. 

Some  successful  growers  strew  trashy  hay,  broom- 
sage,  oak  leaves,  pine  needles,  turf,  etc.,  along  in  a 
row  and  then  ridge  on  this,  and  then  plant  on  top  of 
this  ridge.  They  use  a little  acid  phosphate  and  pot- 
ash. The  results  are  very  good. 

Until,  however,  the  South  becomes  a stock-grow- 
ing country  the  majority  of  the  potato  growers  will 
have  to  depend  on  commercial  fertilizers. 

We  wish  to  call  attention  to  the  importance  of 
home  mixing  of  commercial  fertilizers.  There  is  no 
magical  secret  about  it,  as  some  farmers  suppose; 
it  is,  however,  a simple  method  of  protecting  him 
from  the  unscrupulous  fertilizer  agent.  All  that  is 
needed  for  the  successful  mixing  of  fertilizers  are  the 
raw  materials — a tamp,  a shovel,  a wagon  bed  or 
floor  of  some  shed,  and  a little  “elbow  grease.” 

To  all  of  those  who  wish  to  do  their  home  mix- 
ing we  would  ask  them  to  send  a postcard  to  Coe 
Mortimer  Co.,.  Charleston,  South  Carolina;  Indepen- 
dent Fertilizer  Go..  Jacksonville.  Florida;  German  Kali 
Works.  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  Pro- 
paganda, New  York  City,  and  ask  for  any  material 
they  have  on  home  mixing. 

It  is  a good  plan  for  a number  of  the  farmers  in 
each  neighborhood  to  group  together,  where  farm  or- 
ganizations do  not  already  exist,  and  order  the  mater- 
ials to  be  mixed  in  car  lots.  There  are  a number  of 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


35 


dealers  in  the  large  cities  who  are  always  glad  to 
sell  these  materials  direct  to  the  farmer.  In  mixing 
their  own  fertilizer  the  farmer  saves  from  ten  to  fifty 
per  cent  on  cost.  For  an  example,  let  us  figure  out  a 
formula  which  covers  the  kind  of  8-2-2  fertilizer,  in 
which  the  agent  sells  the  farmer  from  $20  to  $27  per 
ton,  depending  on  the  locality  and  the  competition. 
Such  a fertilizer  can  be  made  by  mixing  the  follow- 
ing materials: 

1.142  pounds  14  per  cent  Acid  Phosphate. 

317  pounds  12  per  cent  Kainit. 

400  pounds  7%  per  cent  Cotton  Seed  Meal. 

141  pounds  Filler. 

The  cost  of  these  materials  vary  in  different  lo- 
cailties.  Any  one,  however,  can  figure  the  cost  to 
run  from  $15  to  $20  per  ton.  From  these  figures  it 
can  readily  be  seen  the  saving  the  farmer  makes  in 
mixing  his  own  fertilizers.  We  will  give  another  ex- 
ample of  a higher  grade  fertilizer  which  agents  ask 
as  high  as  $50  per  ton.  The  following  materials  are 
used  in  this  formula: 

1.000  pounds  Acid  Phosphate  16  per  cent. 

112  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda  18  per  cent. 

472  pounds  Dried  Blood  17  per  cent. 

417  pounds  Sulphate  of  Potash  48  per  cent. 

This  makes  a fertilizer  analyzing  8 per  cent  Phos- 
phoric Acid,  5 per  cent  Ammonia.  10  per  cent  Potash. 

This  material,  in  normal  times,  will  cost  from 
$35  to  $40.  Of  course,  during  the  war  in  the  old  coun- 
try the  potash  and  dried  blood  have  advanced  to  ab- 
normal prices.  It  is  a question  whether  a high  grade 
fertilizer,  like  the  one  just  given,  is  not  the  cheapest 
food  material  for  the  sweet  potato  in  the  end.  In 


36 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


land  well  supplied  with  humus  we  would  advise  from 
600  to  1,200  pounds  per  acre;  and  on  sandy  lands,  de- 
ficient in  humus,  we  would  not  recommend  over  400 
pounds  of  this  high  grade  fertilizer  to  the  acre. 

One  of  the  largest  growers  of  sweet  potatoes  in 
I he  South  uses  from  one  to  two  tons  per  acre  of  a 1 igh 
grade  fertilizer,  analyzing  7-4-8.  This  grower  applied 
half  broadcast  before  the  ridges  were  thrown  up  and 
reports  a yield  of  over  500  bushels  per  acre. 

Any  one  of  the  following  formulas  will  give  good 
results : 

1.000  pounds  Acid  Phosphate. 

250  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

675  pounds  Cotton  Seed  Meal. 

300  pounds  Sulphate  of  Potash. 

This  makes  an  ideal  fertilizer  and  is  recommend- 
ed by  the  Georgia  Experiment  Station.  The  following 
is  also  a good  formula : 

900  pounds  of  Blood  and  Bone. 

800  pounds  Acid  Phosphate. 

300  pounds  Sulphate  of  Potash. 

This  analyzes  approximately  7 per  cent  Phos- 
phoric Acid,  3 per  cent  Nitrogen  and  8 per  cent  Pot- 
ash. 

This  formula  is  recommended  by  the  Florida  Ex- 
periment Station  and  has  given  excellent  results. 

Where  cotton  seed  meal  is  cheap  and  the  potatoes 
are  raised  for  early  market,  we  recommend  the  fol- 
lowing formula: 

825  pounds  Cotton  Seed  Meal. 

775  pounds  Acid  Phosphate. 

400  pounds  Sulphate  of  Potash. 

The  following  formula  shows  a very  good  fertili- 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


37 


zer.  analyzes  approximately  3-0-10  and  contains  the 
following  materials: 

333  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

857  pounds  Acid  Phosphate. 

416  pounds  Sulphate  of  Potash. 

This  makes  a total  in  pounds  of  1,606.  You  will 
see  that  I here  is  less  than  a ton  in  this  mixture,  yet  it 
contains  all  the  elements  necessary  in  a good  fertili- 
zer. 

In  order  to  make  a ton  a manufacturer  puts  in 
400  pounds  of  ground  cinders,  road  dust,  or  any  other 
material  that  will  serve  as  a filler.  This,  to  be  sure, 
does  not  harm  the  fertilizer;  but  how  about  paying 
freight  on  the  filler? 

We  hope  that  the  above  examples  will  enable 
any  one  to  figure  out  his  own  formula  and  thus  mix 
his  own  fertilizers  and  save  the  extra  money  that  is 
given  to  the  agent.  The  kind  of  fertilizer,  as  we  have 
before  stated,  to  be  used  per  acre,  depends  on  the 
physical  condition  of  the  soil;  also  upon  previous 
crop  grown.  We  might  add  right  here  that  there  is 
no  crop  grown  that  is  so  sensitive  to  the  benefits  of 
a crop  rotation  as  that  of  the  sweet  potato.  No  sweet 
potato  crop  should  be  grown  twice  in  succession  on 
the  same  piece  of  land.  The  best  crop  preceding  the 
sweet  potato  crop  is  that  of  cow-peas,  velvet  beans 
or  any  other  legume. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  on  Fertilizers,  we  wish 
to  call  attention  to  Lime — not  as  a fertilizer  but  as  a 
conditioner  of  the  soil.  On  poor  land,  it  assists  in  re- 
leasing the  potash  from  the  soil  and  thus  make  smooth 
11  datoes;  on  new  ground  it  sweetens  the  laud.  Where 
the  freight  is  not  too  high  we  recommend  two  tons  of 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


ground  lime  per  acre  broadcast;  and  where  the  freight 
is  high  use  burnt  lime  at  the  rate  of  1,000  pounds  to 
the  acre.  All  lime  should  he  applied  the  year  before 
planted  to  potatoes. 

Wood  ashes  from  hard  wood — not  pine  or  cy- 
press— are  a good  fertilizer  in  themselves  and  will 
give  good  results  if  applied  at  the  rate  of  1,000  to  2,- 
000  pounds  per  acre. 

All  fertilizer  should  be  applied  at  least  ten  days 
before  planted  or  set  out.  Some  growers  throw  up  a 
small  ridge  with  a small  plow,  then  strew  the  fertili- 
zer on  this  ridge;  then  finish  throwing  up  the  row 
with  a large  plow.  Many  of  the  large  growers  have 
a fertilizer  attachment  to  their  disc  harrow  and 
throw  up  a row  and  distribute  the  fertilizer  at  one 
operation. 

The  following  is  a method  of  applying  fertilizer 
by  G.  K.  McQuarrie.  Assistant  Superintendent  Farmers’ 
Institute,  Gainesville,  Florida: 

METHODS  OF  APPLICATION. 

“It  is  a well  known  fact  that  the  root  system  is  the 
foundation  on  which  a crop  is  made,  and  the  methods 
of  application  of  the  fertilizer  determine  to  a great  ex- 
tent the  vigor  and  number  of  the  feeding  rootlets  of  a 
crop.  Fertilizer  applied  in  furrows,  drills  or  hills 
tends  to  make  the  soil  streaked  or  spotted  in  its  fertil- 
ity. consequently  curtailing  the  root  system  because 
the  roots  of  the  crop  are  not  apt  to  spread  through 
all  the  soil  as  they  would  do  if  the  fertility  was  uni- 
formly distributed.  Therefore  it  is  recommended  that, 
on  all  well-prepared  soils  plowed  to  a depth  of  six 
inches  or  more,  the  fertilizer  he  broadcasted  on  freshly 
prepared  land  and  worked  into  the  soil  by  means  of 


FC  R SOUTHERN  TLANTERS 


39 


harrow,  weeder  or  cultivator,  a few  days  previous  to 
planting  the  crop.  On  soils  deficient  in  humus,  and 
plowed  a few  inches  in  depth,  the  application  of  the 
fertilizer  had  best  be  in  furrows;  but  in  such  a case 
the  quantity  used  must  be  small  and  the  crop  will  be 
of  a corresponding  degree,  thus  making  the  cost  more 
per  bushel,  for  the  labor  required  is  the  same  in  both 
cases.” 


40 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


CHAPTER  VII. 


TRANSPLANTING. 


THE  TIME  TO  PLANT. 

The  time  to  plant  depends  on  whether  you  want 
to.  grow  for  early  markets  or  for  home  use.  If  you 
grow  for  the  early  market,  the  plants  can  be  set  oul 
in  the  rows  as  soon  as  the  danger  of  the  frost  is  over. 
If  set  too  soon,  and  the  ground  is  still  cold  and  the 
nights  cool  and  damp,  the  plants  will  not  do  well  and 
they  had  better  be  left  in  the  seed  beds.  Allow  me 
to  repeat  that  the  Sweet  Potato  is  primarily  a plant 
of  the  tropical  country  and  does  not  like  cold  weather. 
There  is  nothing  like  a frost-proof  Sweet  Potato  plant. 
As  to  the  habit  and  origin  of  the  Sweet  Potato,  we 
ask  that  you  read  again  the  chapter  on  "Introduction." 
for  it  is  truly,  as  a writer  on  Sweet  Potatoes  expresses 
it.  “A  Child  of  the  Sun.” 

The  writer  has  frequently  received  requests  from 
the  mountainous  sections  of  the  South  for  the  frost- 
proof sweet  potato  slips.  Some  unscrupulous  plant 
grower  had  gone  to  the  extreme  in  order  to  sell  his 
plants,  a method  entirely  uncalled  for  and  unneces- 
sary as  all  reputable  plant  growers  have  always  sold 
their  plants  without  misrepresentation. 

Many  experiments  made  by  the  writer  proved  that 
I he  best  crops  are  made  from  plants  set  out  from  May 
10th  to  June  25th.  We  have,  however,  received  many 
reports  from  growers  who  made  large  crops  from 
plantings  as  late  as  July  28th;  and  one  grower  states 
I he  best  potatoes  he  ever  made  was  planted  the  J'irsl 
week  in  August,  Of  course,  this  grower  lived  in 


From  Farmers’  Bulletin,  324,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Figure  13 — Transplanting  Machine  in  Operation. 


From  Farmers’  Bulletin,  324,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Figure  11— Setting  Sweet 
Potato  Plants  by  Hands. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


41 


South  Georgia  where  the  warm  season  is  longer  than 
in  the  northern  and  mountainous  sections  of  the  cot- 
ton states. 

The  man  who  becomes  a successful  plant  grower 
will  soon  learn  when  to  plant — how  to  plant — kinds 
of  fertilizers — kinds  of  soil,  and  how  to  harvest  and 
store  successfully,  if  he  is  careful  in  his  observations. 

We  would  recommend  that  every  farmer  who 
grows  Sweet  Potatoes,  or  any  other  crop,  keep  a rec- 
ord of  what  he  does  on  the  farm.  In  this  way  he 
knows  exactly  at  the  end  of  the  year  what  his  crop 
lias  cost  him  per  bushel,  or  per  acre;  and  he  also 
will  be  able  to  find  the  mistakes  he  has  made  the  pre- 
vious year.  The  most  successful  farmers  of  any  sec- 
lion  of  country,  are  those  who  keep  a daily  record  of 
their  work. 

TRANSPLANTING. 

The  yield  of  your  crop  will  depend  largely  on 
the  start  the  plants  take  when  first  set  out.  The  es- 
sential thing  in  planting  the  slips  is  to  get  the  roots 
in  contact  with  moist  dirt,  firmly  pressed  about  the 
plant. 

A half-pint  of  water  should  be  put  to  each  plant 
unless  it  is  raining  at  the  time  of  planting.  A good 
test  to  see  if  the  plant  is  properly  set  is  to  take  hold 
of  a leaf  and  pull  steadily;  if  the  leaf  tears  between 
(he  thumb  and  finger  without  pulling  the  plant  loose, 
the  slip  is  well  set. 

The  rows  should  be  three  feet  apart  in  high  and 
dry  land,  and  from  a foot  to  a foot  and  a half  high; 
hut  in  low.  undrained  land  the  rows  should  be  five 
- feet  apart,  and  from  two  to  two  and  a half  feet  high. 
In  fact,  no  low  land,  as  we  have  cautioned  in  a pre- 


42 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


vious  chapter,  should  ever  he  planted  in  Sweet  Pota- 
toes. This  precaution  is  taken  so  as  to  drain  off  all 
the  water  during  a heavy  fall  of  rain,  or  prolonged 
rainy  weather.  The  young  potatoes  must  never  be 
in  stagnant  water  at  any  period  of  their  growth. 

If  you  wish  to  make  large  potatoes,  set  the  plants 
eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  apart  on  the  rows.  If 
you  want  to  make  medium-sized  potatoes,  plant  them 
from  ten  to  fifteen  inches  apart  on  the  rows.  An 
acre  planted  in  this  way  will  support  about  9.000  slips. 

Most  truckers  and  farmers  order  their  plants  from 
growers  who  make  a business  of  supplying  slips  for 
the  planters.  And  where  the  early  potato  is  wanted, 
and  in  localities  where  the  potato  is  hard  to  keep, 
this  is  probably  the  best  plan. 

Now,  a few  words  in  regard  to  I lie  treatment  to 
be  given  your  plants  when  taken  from  the  express 
office.  If  they  are  already  rotten  and  black  from  be- 
ing too  long  in  transit,  refuse  them.  If  only  the 
leaves  fall  off  easily  and  the  stems  are  stout  and  green, 
they  are  all  right  and  will  grow  off  just  as  well  as  if 
they  were  nice  and  green  with  all  the  leaves  on  them. 
If  they  look  reasonably  good,  take  them  out  of  the 
crates  as  soon  as  possible;  dip  the  roots  into  water  and 
then  heel  into  the  ground,  in  a shady  place,  until  the 
next  day,  unless  it  be  raining,  when  you  can  plant 
them  at  once.  Be  sure  and  separate  the  plants  so  as  to 
allow  the  air  to  penetrate  freely. 

We  have  always  found  it  pays  to  use  a litfle 
water  when  planting,  no  matter  if  there  is  a season 
or  not,  as  it  will  give  your  plants  a sure  start.  Some 
up-to-date  truckers  make  a mixture  of  cow  manure 
and  clay  into  a liquid  and  into  this  they  dip  the  roots 
before  they  set  them  out.  and  then  add  half  a pint  of 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


43 


water  to  each  plant,  and  as  a result  they  get  new 
potatoes  in  the  course  of  sixty  days,  and  you  wonder 
why.  You  wonder  where  he  got  his  slips;  you  order 
your  plants  next  year  from  the  same  place  and  your 
potatoes  are  as  late  as  usual. 

Where  the  ground  is  heavy,  a hole  can  be  made 
with  a stout  lath  sharpened  to  a flat  point.  The  plant 
is  dropped  into  the  hole  and  closed  with  the  hand 
or  heel  of  the  foot.  Some  truckers  in  New  Jersey  and 
Delaware  use  wooden  tongs,  so  as  to  scarcely  bend 
their  back  in  planting.  They  grasp  the  plant  by  the 
root  and  push  it  into  the  hole  made  by  the  sharp  lath 
and  firm  the  dirt  with  a kick  of  the  foot. 

Where  the  ground  is  soft,  most  planters  use  a 
cane;  rounded  out  at  the  bottom  and  lined  with  can- 
vas or  leather,  and  the  plant  or  cutting  is  laid  on  the 
row  by  a dropper,  and  the  planter  presses  his  cane  on 
flic  plant  hard  enough  to  set  the  plant  or  cutting,  and 
finishes  with  his  foot. 

By  a little  practice,  one  can  become  expert  with 
these  common,  homely  tools  and  plant  an  acre  per 
day  without  it  becoming  tiresome. 

Where  large  acreage  is  planted  it  might  be  well 
for  the  grower  to  investigate  the  machinery  planters 
operated  by  horse  power  as  used  by  the  big  Delaware 
and  Jersey  truck  growers,  and  lately  adopted  by 
some  of  the  big  Florida  growers. 

The  following  method  is  used  in  making  the 
ridges  and  planting  the  crop,  by  J.  R.  Davis,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  plant  growers  and  truck- 
ers in  the  South. 

“For  all  soils  where  slips  are  to  be  used  I would 
advise  making  the  rows  just  in  advance  of  planting. 


44 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


Many  growers  prepare  the  land  and  wait  for  a rain 
to  set.  This  method  perhaps  saves  some  expense 
in  setting  the  plants  but  the  plants  rarely  ever  start 
off  so  well  as  when  a little  water  is  used  in  planting, 
and  the  cutting  of  expense  at  planting  time  often 
proves  to  be  false  economy.  While  I would  not  advise 
setting  while  the  ground  is  very  dry.  I would  pre- 
fer to  set  several  days  after  a rain.  Plants  of  all 
kinds  start  off  better  when  planted  in  loose,  freshly 
prepared  land,  perhaps  owing  to  the  fact  that  more 
air  is  supplied  to  the  roots.  Where  irrigation  is  used 
lay  off  one  row  straight  with  hull  tongue.  Then  take 
a.  14-inch  solid  sweep,  running  one  furrow  to  each 
row,  making  the  ridges  30  inches  apart.  This  throws 
up  a flat  ridge  about  4 inches  above  the  level.  A two- 
horse  disc  harrow  with  the  two  outside  discs  removed 
makes  an  excellent  implement  for  this  purpose  and 
where  the  ground  has  not  been  sufficiently  pulverized 
perhaps  this  implement  is  preferable  in  laying  off 
rows.  Where  irrigation  is  not  used  an  ordinary  18- 
inch  disc  harrow  with  three  horses  is  a good  tool  for 
making  the  rows,  which  should  be  3 y%  to  4 feet  apart. 
Where  land  is  abundant  and  the  growing  season  long 
the  latter  distance  is  to  be  preferred.  Presuming  that 
the  land  has  been  fertilized  and  prepared  as  above 
indicated,  we  now  come  to  setting  the  plants.  Where 
I lie  irrigation  is  supplied  by  pipes  overhead  or  under- 
ground. water  for  setting  may  be  drawn  from  a tank 
by  using  valves  at  convenient  distances.  This  is  a very 
economical  method  of  obtaining  water  and  all  pipe 
systems  should  be  provided  with  this  convenience. 
Taking  an  ordinary  hoe  handle,  making  a round  point 
on  one  end.  place  this  in  the  hand  of  a careful  man 
and  let  him  go  along  just  behind  the  bedding  plow 
and  punch  a hole  about  six  inches  deep  and  eighteen 
inches  apart.  Two  hands  can  easily  keep  up  with  one 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


45 


plowman,  and  the  plow  should  never  get  more  than 
a few  rows  aheqd  of  the  hole  makers.  Let  boys  fol- 
low placing  the  plants  in  the  holes  thus  made.  After 
the  droppers  comes  a man  or  boy  with  a bucket  of 
water  and  a three  pound  tomato  can  with  rim  pulled 
off  and  one  side  bent  to  a V shape.  Pour  about  one- 
third  pint  of  water  so  as  to  strike  the  edge  of  the 
hole.  This  washes  some  dirt  over  the  root  of  the 
plant  and  the  job  is  finished. 

For  twenty-five  years  I have  tried  all  methods 
of  plant  setting  machines,  and  have  found  the  above 
outlined  plan  the  best  and  most  economical  of  all.  In 
case  of  approaching  cold  weather,  plant  setting  should 
be  deferred  until  the  ground  becomes  warm.  For  ir- 
rigated lands  set  30X18  inches,  requiring  11,760  plants 
per  acre.  For  non-irrigated  set  48X18,  requiring  7.- 
280  plants  per  acre. 

I wish  to  call  particular  attention  to  the  fact  that 
whether  plants  or  vines  are  used  for  planting  con- 
dit/ons  and  treatment  should  be  such  as  to  insure  their 
starting  off  promptly.  Phis  is  especially  true  in  the 
case  of  vines.  These  are  usually  set  after  good  rains, 
and  if  the  weather  immediately  following  should  be 
unfavorable  to  allowing  them  to  make  root  within  a 
few  days,  they  should  be  pulled  up  and  replanted  with 
fresh  vines.  I learned  this  fact  at  a cost  of  about  ten 
thousand  dollars.  Always  try  to  set  vines  durum 
rainy,  damp  weather.  The  atmospheric  moisture  is 
very  favorable  to  their  taking  root  promptly. 

The  above  article  is  used  by  permission  of  Ihc 
author  on  “Sweet  Potato  Growing  in  the  South.” 

The  following  from  Bulletin  107.  issued  by  the 
Georgia  Experiment  Station  by  H.  P.  Stuckey,  gives 


46 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


the  method,  the  time  of  planting  as  practiced  at  that 
institution. 


TIME  OF  SETTING  POTATO  PLANTS  TO  THE  FIELD. 

For  early  potatoes,  the  draws  should  be  set  to  the 
field  as  early  as  possible  in  the  spring  after  the  danger 
of  frost  has  passed.  But  where  the  largest  possible 
yield  is  sought,  the  very  early  plantings  are  not  to  be 
recommended.  The  time  of  planting  to  secure  the 
heaviest  crop  varies  from  season  to  season  and  with 
varieties. 

During  the  past  few  years  this  station  has  con- 
ducted experiments  along  this  line  with  the  Pumpkin 
Yam  variety.  The  results  are  given  in  the  following 
table.  The  plats  were  two  rows  209  feet  long: 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


47 


TABLE  1. 

EFFECTS  OF  DATE  OF  PLANTING  ON  YIELD  OF  PUMPKIN 
YAM  POTATO. 


DATE  PLANTED 

Lbs.  Marketable 
Potatoes 

Lbs.  Small 
Potatoes 

Total  Pounds 
Potatoes 

April  23.  1910... 

141 

71 

212 

April  31,  1910.. 

160 

67 

227 

May  12,  1910... 

250 

55 

305 

May  24,  1910... 

182 

56 

238 

June  1.  1910.  .. 

259 

73 

332 

June  11.  1910 

412 

63 

475 

June  21.  1910.. 

275 

43 

328 

July  1,  1910.... 

314 

54 

368 

July  15,  1910 

44 

14 

58 

July  30.  1910.. 

0 

4 

4 

May  6,  1911.... 

410 

238 

648 

May  16,  1911... 

506 

271 

777 

May  26,  1911.. 

241 

136 

377 

June  5,  1911 

258 

148 

406 

June  15,  1911.. 

203 

96 

229 

June  25,  1911.. 

185 

97 

282 

July  5.  1911 

109 

88 

197 

July  15,  1911 

146 

85 

231 

July  25,  1911 ... 

23 

12 

35 

May  20,  1913. 

346 

88 

434 

May  30.  1913. 

272 

86 

358 

June  6,  1913 

212 

70 

282 

June  19,  1913... 

244 

62 

306 

June  28,  1913.. 

0 

178 

178 

July  7,  1913.... 

0 

106 

106 

July  17,  1913... 

0 

34 

34 

July  28.  1913... 

0 

0 

0 

48 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


From  this  data  it  would  seem  that  the  time  of 
the  heaviest  yields — May  16th  to  June  ilth  for  the 
three  years — has  a variation  of  twenty-six  days.  This 
shows  conclusively  that  year  in  and  year  out  there  is 
no  one  best  date  for  planting  sweet  potatoes.  How- 
ever, the  data  shows  that  light  yields  may  be  expected 
in  this  latiude  from  plantings  made  after  about  July 
1st.  The  latter  half  of  May  is  about  the  best  time  tu 
plant  the  Pumpkin  Yam  type  of  potato  where  yield  is 
the  primary  object  to  be  considered. 

METHOD  OF  SETTING  POTATO  DRAWS. 

The  use  of  a transplanting  machine  was  imprac- 
ticable in  our  work,  as  the  potatoes  were  grown  in 
plats  of  limited  area  for  experimental  purposes;  there- 
fore, the  plants  were  set  by  hand.  If  the  soil  was  suf- 
ficiently moist  at  the  time  of  setting,  the  plants  were 
dropped  eighteen  inches  apart  in  the  row  and  the 
roots  pushed  into  the  soil  by  means  of  a stick  with  a 
slight  fork  in  the  end.  If  watering  was  necessary  at 
the  time  of  planting,  one  man  made  the  hole  with  a 
small  hoe,  another  man  poured  about  a pint  of  water 
into  each  hole,  a third  man  dropped  the  plants,  and 
the  fourth  man  set  them  out  by  hand.  This  is  an  ef- 
fective, but  a very  expensive,  way  of  setting  out  sweet 
potatoes  at  the  present  price  of  labor. 

Where  large  areas  are  to  he  planted,  a planting 
machine  should  be  used.  A very  satisfactory  trans- 
planting machine  now  on  the  market  may  he  pur- 
chased for  from  $40.00  to  $45.00.  It  is  drawn,  by  two 
mules  and  carries  a tank  holding  about  sixty  gallons 
of  water  for  watering  the  plants.  This  .machine  is  op- 
erated by  three  men.  One  man  drives  the  team  while 
two  men  ride  on  small  seats  to  the  rear  and  place 
plants  in  the  drill.  The  watering  device  is  automatic 
and  can  be  regulated  to  put  almost  any  quantity  of 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


49 


water  in  each  hill.  The  machine  can  he  set  also  to 
space  the  hills  any  distance  desired.  The  mules  pull- 
ing a machine  of  this  kind  must  he  trained  to  walk 
slowly  where  plants  are  set  as  close  together  as  sweet 
potatoes. 

Under  favorable  conditions,  a transplanter  will 
transplant  about  four  acres  of  potatoes  per  day.  It  re- 
quires two  mules  add  three  men  to  operate  it.  Under 
the  same  conditions,  four  men  will  set  only  about  one 
acre  per  day. 

PLANTS  OR  DRAWS. 

The  question  is  often  asked  whether  vines  or 
plants  should  he  used  for  the  general  crop.  There  are 
many  growers  who  use  vines  only,  who  never  plant 
slips.  Early  in  the  spring  they  plant  several  rows  of 
small  potatoes,  the  large  ones  being  cut  into  pieces, 
which  they  call  their  seed  bed;  and  as  they  begin  to 
run  they  cut  off  vines  from  ten  inches  to  one  foot  in 
length,  and  with  these  plant  their  general  crop.  This 
method  seems  to  do  well  for  those  who  plant  a limited 
area  only;  then,  too,  it  is  likely  that  these  growers 
realize  that  frequent  cutting  of  vines  from  their  gen- 
eral crop  ridges  are  an  injury  to  the  plant. 

The  writer  has  inade  frequent  experiments  with 
the  Nancy  Hall,  the  Porto  Rico  and  Triumph  varieties. 
The  Nancy  Hall  variety  was  injured  more  than  half, 
part  of  the  plat  became  yellow  and  blighted  a few 
days  after  the  vines  were  cut.  The  Porto  Rico  variety 
was  injured  a little,  but  not  enough  to  seriously  effect 
the  crop;  while  the  Triumph  was  not  hurt  at  all  and 
no  appreciative  effect  noticed  on  the  yield.  It  must 
be  stated  here,  that  the  last  two  named  varieties  were 
not  cut  so  close  as  was  the  Nancy  Hall.  From  these 
experiments  the  writer  is  convinced  that  cutting  of 


50 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


vines  will  never  be  beneficial  to  the  crop,  and  in  cer- 
tain seasons  and  stages  of  growth  will  be  a positive 
injury.  It  might  be  interesting  to  know  that  the 
Nancy  Hall  is  more  subject  to  disease  than  the  other 
varieties,  and  having  its  living  power  reduced  by  the 
cutting  of  its  vines  weakened  it  and  thus  rendered  it 
an  easy  prey  to  its  diseases.  The  rows  of  Nancy  Hall 
that  were  not  cut  at  all  remained  dark  green  and  pro- 
duced a good  crop. 

The  following  tabulated  experiment  by  Mr. 
Stuckey,  of  the  Georgia  Experiment  Station,  supports 
the  theory  of  the  writer.  This  item  is  taken  from  Bul- 
letin 107: 

CUTTING  OFF  VINES  REDUCES  YIELD. 

“It  is  the.  practice  in  a number  of  localities  to  pen 
some  pigs  near  the  potato  patch  and  feed  them  time 
to  time  on  cuttings  from  the  vines  as  soon  as  the  vines 
cover  the  ground. 

“To  determine  the  effects  of  severe  cutting  of 
vines  on  the  yield  of  the  sweet  potato,  a test  was  made 
during  the  season  of  1912.  Six  rows,  209  feet  long, 
were  well  fertilized  and  set  to  the  Enormous  variety 
of  sweet  potatos  early  in  May.  These  potatoes  were 
given  the  same  culture  usually  given  in  growing  pota- 
toes. 

“By  June  14th  the  vines  had  completely  covered 
the  soil.  Those  of  rows  1 and  2,  and  5 and  6 were  cut 
back  to  one  foot  in  length  and  removed  from  the  field. 
A few  weeks  later,  these  had  grown  out  so  that  the 
entire  soil  was  again  covered  so  that  one  could  hardly 
tell  that  any  vines  had  been  removed.  On  October  24th 
the  potatoes  were  harvested  with  the  following  results: 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


51 


TABLE  III. 

Rows  1 and  2 680  pounds 

Rows  3 and  4 1,062  pounds 

Rows  5 and  6 620  pounds 

From  this  it  seems  that  cutting  the  vines  may 
reduce  the  yield  to  nearly  one-half.  While  this  re- 
duction may  be  less  if  smaller  cuttings  are  made  and 
the  period  of  cutting  extended  over  a lengthy  season, 
it  is  doubtful  if  the  practice  of  cutting  vines  from  the 
growing  potato  crop  is  ever  profitable.  The  leaves  of 
the  potato  vines  are  the  organs  for  transforming  the 
plant  food  into  the  starch  and  other  elements  that  com- 
pose the  sweet  potato.  When  we  cut  the  vines,  the 
assimilation  process  receives  a severe  shock  and  so 
reduces  the  yield.” 

From  these  experiments  it  would  seem  the  better 
method  for  large  acreage  is  to  plant  draws  instead  of 
vines;  then  again  it  is  so  much  easier  to  get  the 
plants  than  the  vines  as  there  are  scores  of  reputable 
plant  growers  in  almost  every  state  of  the  cotton  belt. 

One  large  grower  on  cultivation  says  “put  your 
second  application  of  fertilizer  in  the  middle  of  the 
rows  immediately  after  you  cut  the  vines  for  planting.” 
This  strengthens  our  argument  advanced  previously 
in  this  chapter  under  subject  of  vines.  He  evidently 
realizes  that  the  plants  recently  operated  upon  need 
a medicine. 


52 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CULTIVATION. 

On  new  ground  very  little  cultivation  is  necessary. 
The  nicest,  smoothest  potatoes  the  writer  ever  saw 
were  raised  on  a piece  of  land  from  which  cross-ties 
were  hauled  in  December  and  cleared  in  the  following 
spring  and  planted  in  June,  and  harvested  in  .Novem- 
ber. The  yield  was  very  good. 

The  only  cultivation  necessary  on  new  ground  is 
a shallow  one  to  conserve  moisture,  and  to  loosen  up 
the  dirt  about  the  plant  in  order  to  give  the  roots 
plenty  of  air.  On  sandy  land  a good  garden  rake  is  a 
very  good  tool.  On  heavy  lands  a garden  hoe  or 
scraper  is  necessary. 

On  old  lands  more  frequent  cultivations  are  nec- 
essary, in  order  to  keep  the  crabgrass  and  weeds  out. 
The  crabgrass  is  to  the  sweet  potato  what  the  tick 
is  to  the  cow.  It  should  be  carefully  kept  out  of  the 
field.  The  ridges  should  not  be  disturbed  by  a plow. 
Use  a hoe  if  necessary  to  scrape  off  the  grass,  and 
pull  up  the  large  weeds  by  hand. 

In  large  fields  a riding  cultivator  is  a desirable  im- 
plement. One  with  disc  or  scrapes  will  do  better  than 
one  with  hoes  or  shovels. 

Laying-by  can  be  done  easily  with  a one-horse 
sweep  filled  up  with  sloping  boards.  Some  growers 
use  a common  one-horse  plow  and  go  twice  through 
I lie  row,  throwing  fresh  dirt  to  each  side  of  the  row. 

If  the  grass  should  get  a start  of  the  grower,  the 
best  implement  is  a small  turn  plow,  run  down  each 
side  of  ridge,  throwing  the  dirt  away  from  the  plants, 
and  immediately  follow  with  hoes  and  cut  out  all 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


53 


grass  and  weeds.  In  a few  days  the  same  plow  can 
be  used  in  throwing  back  the  dirt.  Of  course,  if  the 
plants  have  already  begun  to  vine  and  potatoes  form- 
ed. this  method  must  not  he  used  as  it  will  do  more  in- 
jury, especially  in  dry  weather,  than  good. 

In  laying-by  the  vines  should  he  laid  aside  so  as 
not  he  injured  by  the  horse  or  plow. 

All  grass  and  weeds  should  be  kept  out  of  the 
potato  patch,  as  the  young  tubers  should  not  be  dis- 
turbed when  once  formed. 

More  crop  failures  have  resulted  from  grass  and 
weeds  getting  control  than  any  other  cause.  The 
planter  must  ever  be  on  the  alert  for  the  appearance 
of  grass — our  best  friend  and  our  worst  enemy. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  like  variety  of 
methods,  we  produce  the  following  articles-  by  other 
growers  of  experience  on  sweet  potato  culture. 

By  the  Empire  Plant  Company: 

‘‘For  sweet  potatoes,  select  a warm  sandy  loam 
well  filled  with  humus,  but  they  will  produce  a fairly 
good  crop  on  most  any  kind  of  soil,  provided  it  is  well 
drained,  and  adequately  supplied  with  plant  food. 
Plow  the  land  shallow,  as  deep  plowing  produces  too 
many  strings  and  badly  formed  tubers.  Harrow  and 
pulverize  thoroughly,  and  lay  off  the  rows  from  3 to 
3fA  feet  apart,  and  apply  in  the  drill  500  to  1,000 
pounds  of  fertilizer  according  to  fertility  of  your  land. 
The  fertilizer  should  analyze  8 per  cent  of  phosphoric 
acid.  3 of  ammonia.  6 of  potash.  Mix  the  fertilizer  in 
the  drill  before  covering,  and  cover  by  throwing  a fur- 
row from  each  side,  knock  off  the  top  and  set  the  plants 
about  18  inches  apart.  If  the  soil  is  dry,  make  holes 
with  a hoe  about  two  inches  deep;  set  the  plants  in 


54 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


the  holes,  apply  about  half  a pint  of  water  to  the  hole 
and  cover  with  dry  soil. 

In  working  the  crop,  throw  the  soil  to  the  plants, 
so  when  you  lay  them  by,  you  will  have  a good  bed.'” 

The  following  by  a successful  Southern  grower  of 
sweet  potatoes  is  a worthy  article — one  that  strength- 
ens our  ideas  expressed  in  previous  chapters: 

HOW  I MAKE  500  BUSHELS  OF  FINE  SWEET  POTATOES 
PER  ACRE. 

And  you  can  do  just  as  well  and  probably  better.  I 
have  my  land  broken  deep  in  the  fall  if  possible;  if 
not,  I flat-break  early  in  the  spring,  at  least  thirty 
days  before  I commence  to  set  plants.  I follow  with 
disc  harrow,  going  over  ground  from  one  to  three 
times  or  until  the  soil  is  thoroughly  pulverized.  About 
ten  days  before  I expect  to  set  slips.  I lay  off  rows  4 
feet  wide  with  12-inch  sweep.  In  this  furrow  I put 
fertilizer,  using  from  400  to  800  pounds  per  acre  of 
high  orade  commercial  fertilizer,  analyzing  Acid 
Phosphate  9 per  cent,,  Nitrogen  3:29  per  cent  and  Pot- 
ash 7 per  cent,  well  scattered.  I run  small  plow  in 
furrow  to  mix  fertilizer  well  with  the  soil.  I now  use. 
8 or  9-inch  turn  plow  to  list  on  fertilizer,  making  plow 
cut  all  it  will  so  as  to  leave  a good,  wide  ridge.  I am 
now  ready  to  set  plants,  which  I proceed  to  do  imme- 
diately after  a good  rain.  I have  the  slips  drawn  from 
bed  and  carried  to  the  field  in  large  baskets,  distribut- 
ing in  piles  at  each  end  and  midway  of  rows.  I have 
man  with  plank  or  board  attached  to  plow  to  proceed 
dropping  slips  and  partially  knock  off  ridge.  This 
facilitates  setting  the  plants,  also  it  answers  as  a culti- 
vation in  getting  rid  nf  young  grass  and  weeds  that 
are  beginning  to  put  forth.  It  is  very  important  that 
there  are  no  weeds  or  grass  left  in  the  drill.  Another 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


55 


man  or  boy  goes  along  row  dropping  slips  and  another 
comes  along  immediately  with  stick — round  one  is 
best,  about  two  to  three  feet  long  and  one  inch  through. 
Place  stick  near  the  root  end  and  push  straight  down, 
leaving  enough  plant  above  ground  to  insure  good 
growth.  Should  it  be  necessary  to  put  out  plants 
when  ground  is  dry.  I put  out  as  above  described  and 
afterwards  watering  them,  covering  the  moist  dirt 
around  the  plant  with  dry  soil  to  prevent  baking  by 
the  hot  sun.  If  the  ground  is  very  dry  T water  the 
plants  in  the  afternoon  for  two  or  three  times.  With- 
in the  next  few  days  T run  the  spring-tooth  harrow 
through  middles  to  destroy  the  weeds.  About  ten  days 
after  plants  are  set  I throw  two  more  furrows  to  row 
with  turn  plow  and  run  out  middles  with  a sweep. 
One  week  later  I run  spring  tooth  harrow,  set  as  side 
barrow,  close  up  to  plants,  working  dirt  to  middles. 
This  cultivation  is  followed  by  hoes,  and  I am  very 
careful  to  get  all  weeds  and  grass. 

By  this  time  vines  are  beginning  to  run.  T follow 
the  hoes  with  a 12  to  14-inch  sweep,  having  vines 
turned  ahead  of  plow.  About  one  week  alter  I put  two 
furrows  to  row  with  turn  plow  and  plow  out  middles 
with  large  sweep.  This  completes  the  cultivation  if 
vines  are  vigorous  and  have  covered  the  ground;  if  not. 
T run  the  harrow  again  before  a crop  of  grass  gets 
started,  and  follow  with  a large  sweep  in  middles. 

My  observation  has  been  that  most  farmers  neg- 
lect their  potato  crop,  devoting  most  of  their  time 
to  corn  and  cotton,  resulting  in  the  potato  ground 
growing  more  weeds  and  grass  than  potatoes.  Then 
be  complains  he  cannot  “make  anything”  growing 
sweet  potatoes.  T have  known  some  of  these  fellows 
actually  having  to  burn  off  the  potato  patch  before 


56 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


they  could  get  in  there  with  the  plow  to  dig  their 
potatoes. 

By  starting  out  with  our  ground  well  prepared, 
with  strong,  thrifty,  vigorous  plants  grown  from 
sound  pure,  selected  seed,  with  good  fertilizer  and 
with  frequent  cultivation,  I find  it  not  a difficult  thing 
to  do  to  realize  a yield  of  400  to  600  bushels  of  fine 
sweet  potatoes  per  acre.” 

IMPLEMENTS. 

The  implements  required  in  the  growing  of  the 
sweet  potato  are  very  simple.  We  have  known  a num- 
ber of  growers  to  make  a good  crop  with  a Dixie  plow, 
part  of  a broom  handle,  a garden  hoe  and  a potato 
hook.  In  general  the  implements  used  in  growing 
other  crops  can  be  utilized  in  the  growing  of  sweet 
potatoes.  To  be  sure,  there  are  many  kinds  of  spe- 
cial machinery  on  the  market  that  make  the  growing 
of  sweet  potatoes  much  easier.  As  for  example,  the 
two-horse  ridger,  fertilizer  distributor,  the  two-horse 
transplanter  and  the  two-horse  digger,  together  wilh 
the  vine  cutter.  This  machinery  is  used  largely  by 
growers  of  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  acres  or  more. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  any  prospective  sweet  potato 
grower  to  order  any  of  this  new  machinery  until  he 
has  learned  how  to  grow  a successful  crop  of  pota- 
toes with  the  simple  machinery  found  on  every  south- 
ern farm. 


Main  Streets  of  tlie  Little  Village  of  Pinecastle,  Florida,  the 
Largest  Shipping  Point  of  Sweet  Potato  Plants  in  the  South. 


From  Farmers’  Bulletin,  324,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Figure  18 — Suitable  implement  for  plowing  up  sweet  potatoes, 
provided  with  sharp  rolling  coulters  that  cut  the  vines 
ahead  of  the  plow. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


57 


CHAPTER  IX. 


HARVESTING  AND  STORING. 


There  is  no  fixed  lime  to  harvest  this  crop.  Those 
who  cater  to  the  early  market  will  take  them  up  be- 
fore they  are  fully  matured  on  account  of  the  good 
price  received  for  them.  If  they  are  to  be  shipped 
any  distance,  handle  very  carefully  and  pick  out  the 
unsightly  ones  for  the  stock  or  home  use.  Sell  the 
medium  sized  ones  only  and  this  will  be  a starter  to- 
wards the  habit  of  grading  your  potatoes.  The  majori- 
ty of  the  planters  do  not  dig  their  potatoes  until  touch- 
ed by  a slight  frost.  If  this  happens  the  vines  should 
all  be  cut  off  and  piled  on  the  rows;  and  in  addition 
to  this  the  exposed  potatoes  and  cracked  hills  should 
be  covered  with  dirt.  If  this  is  done,  especially  in 
the  lower  states,  the  potatoes  can  remain  in  the  ground 
for  several  weeks  and  the  keeping  quality,  as  well  as 
the  eating,  w ill  be  improved. 

Much  depends  on  when  and  how  the  sweet  potato 
is  dug  from  its  hill  as  to  its  keeping  after  having  been 
stored  away.  Therefore,  in  digging  potatoes  the  ut- 
most care  should  be  taken  to  injure  as  few  as  possible. 
The  vital  essentials  to  the  successful  harvesting  of  the 
sweet  potato,  are  t lie  time  of  digging,  weather  condi- 
tions and  methods  of  digging,  and  the  care  of  handling. 
As  to  the  time  of  digging  we  give  the  following  for 
what  it  is  worth.  This  writer  is  evidently  a strong 
believer  in  the  effects  of  the  moon  upon  things  on  the 
earth.  He  says.  “The  best  time  for  harvesting  the 
sweet  potato  is  immediately  after  the  full  moon  in 
October.”  and  gives  the  following  reasons:  (11  “That 

(lie  moon  lias  to  do  with  weather  conditions.  (?)  The 
moon  has  to  do  with  sap.  and  as  the  sweet  potato  is 


58 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


very  sappy  it  is  best  to  harvest  it  at  a time  when  it 
contains  the  least  sap  as  this  greatly  determines  its 
keeping  qualities.  At  this  particular  time  wealher 
conditions  are  usually  favorable  and  the  potato  con- 
tains least  sap  at  this  stage  of  the  moon." 

There  are  various  successful  methods  of  digging 
the  sweet  potato,  but  whatever  method  is  employed  it 
is  very  important  that  extreme  care  be  taken  that  the 
potatoes  are  not  bruised  or  cut.  In  plowing  them  up 
do  not  let  the  mule  or  horse  step  on  the  bill.  And  in 
plowing,  a tool  should  be  employed  that  does  not  cut 
the  potatoes.  A bruised,  cut,  or  frost-bitten  potato 
might  destroy  the  whole  bank. 

After  the  potato  has  been  plowed  from  I lie  hill, 
care  should  be  exercised  in  handling.  They  should 
be  gathered  up  by  hand,  put  in  basket,  and  carefully 
emptied  into  the  potato  house  or  into  the  bank.  When 
weather  conditions  will  admit  it  is  a good  plan  to 
allow  the  potatoes  to  dry  several  hours  before  storing 
them  away. 


BANKING. 

How  to  keep  the  sweet  potato  after  you  have  har- 
vested it  is  a serious  question.  It  seems  each  grower 
has  a separate  method  for  storing,  yet  it  frequently 
happens  that  they  lose  their  whole  crop. 

The  “old  bank”  method  for  storing  potatoes  we 
see  so  much  in  the  Southern  states,  is  a good  method 
provided  ventilation  is  given,  and  it  is  protected  from 
the  rains,  which  is  the  real  essential.  1 be  writer  has 
kept  them  in  the  bank  by  running  slatted  troughs  up 
the  top  of  the  heap  from  the  center  and  also  from 
the  center  of  the  pile  to  the  sides  and  by  closing  the 
whole  heap  without  any  ventilation  whatever.  As  has 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


59 


been  said,  keep  the  rain  out  and  there  will  not  be  so 
much  danger  of  the  crop  being  lost  by  rot. 

The  writer  will  recommend,  where  there  are 
large  quantities  to  store,  and  where  the  regular  curing- 
houses  are  not  used,  to  adopt  the  following  method: 

Select  a high,  dry  piece  of  ground  and  level  off 
with  a garden  rake,  a bed  five  feet  wide  running 
north  and  south,  cover  the  ground  with  two  or  three 
inches  of  pine  straw,  hay,  or  any  bedding,  on  this 
pile  your  potatoes  in  a Y-shaped  ridge  five  or  six  feet 
high  and  running  along  the  row  the  desired  length, 
depending  on  the  amount  of  potatoes  you  have  to 
store.  We  would  not.  however,  put  more  than  a hun- 
dred bushels  on  a pile.  Some  growers  put  nothing  on 
the  bottom  of  the  banks.  The  best  plan  is  to  allow 
the  potatoes  to  dry  in  the  banks  a few  days  by  exposing 
them  to  the  sun  during  the  day.  provided  it  is  not  ex- 
cessively hot,  in  which  event  we  would  cover  the  heap 
with  sacks,  straw  or  hay.  Care  should  be  taken  not 
lu  allow  any  dew.  frost  or  rain  to  get  on  the  potatoes 
before  banking.  At  night  they  should  be  covered.  If 
il  should  rain,  allow  to.  dry  again  in  the  sun.  When 
reasonably  dry.  cover  the  whole  bank  with  straw  of 
some  kind  three  or  four  inches  thick,  and  over  this  put 
four  or  five  inches  of  dry  soil.  This  makes  a nice  bank 
of  potatoes  and  the  hav  or  straw  will  absorb  the  water 
or  sweat  given  off  by  the  potatoes  while  curing  and 
the  dirt  holds  the  straw  in  place  and  keeps  out  the 
cold;  but  not  the  rain. 

To  provide  better  ventilation  the  writer  lias  used 
poles  or  rails  laid  along  lengthwise  through  the  cen- 
ter of  the  bank.  Pile  two  on  the  ground  and  one  on 
lop  and  allow  the  ends  of  these  poles'  to  extend  about 
one  foot  out  upon  either  end  of  the  heap.  This  allows 


60 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


ventilation  to  follow  the  poles,  and  at  intervals  of  five 
feet  slatted  troughs  running  from  the  center  of  the 
pile  to  the  top  of  the  heap  were  placed.  This  allows 
the  air  to  get  in  at  the  poles  and  out  at  the  top  of  these 
chimneys.  During  real  cold  weather  old  sacks  or 
straw  could  be  stuffed  in  these  troughs  to  keep  the 
cold  out. 

To  protect  against  rain  is  an  easy  but  important 
matter  and  should  be  attended  to  at  once.  Take  a num- 
ber of  scantling  or  poles  and  make  a house  roof  frame, 
and  on  this  lay  four-inch  boards  with  the  lap  length- 
wise; or  use  tar  paper  or  shingles — in  fact  anything 
to  keep  out  the  rain.  If  you  store  your  potatoes  away 
in  this  manner  always,  to  be  sure,  observing  every 
precaution  given  to  pick  out  all  bruised,  cut  and  frost- 
bitten ones,  by  using  the  proper  fertilizer,  by  prevent- 
ing them  from  getting  their  “feet”  wet  in  stagnant 
water  in  the  fields,  you  will  have  no  trouble  in  keep- 
ing your  potatoes  until  late  in  the  spring  when  prices 
are  high. 

We  offer  the  following  methods  of  harvesting  and 
storing  the  sweet  potato.  These  suggestions  come 
from  men  of  ripe  experience.  The  following  from 
Bulletin  548.  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture: 

• 

HARVESTING  SWEET  POTATOES. 

Careful  handling  is  one  of  the  essentials  in  keep- 
ing sweet  potatoes,  and  there  is  no  more  important 
place  to  practice  it  than  in  the  field  at  digging  time. 
The  implement  used  to  dig  sweet  potatoes  should  be 
one  that  does  not  cut  or  bruise  the  roots.  One  of  the 
best  types  of  diggers  is  a plow  with  rolling  colters  on 
the  beam  to  cut  the  vines  and  with  rods  attached  to 
the  moldboard  to  free  the  roots  from  the  soil  and 
vines.  After  the  potatoes  are  dug  they  should  be 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


61 


scratched  out  by  hand  and  allowed  to  remain  exposed 
long  enough  to  dry  oil'.  The  digging  should  be  done, 
if  possible,  when  the  weather  is  bright  and  the  soil 
is  dry. 

The  potatoes  should  be  graded  in  the  field  in 
order  to  reduce  the  cost  of  handling  to  a minimum. 
A good  plan  is  to  go  over  the  rows  and  pick  up  the 
sound,  marketable  potatoes  in  one  basket,  then  gather 
all  of  the  seed  stock  in  another  basket  or  box,  and  t lie 
injured  ones  in  still  another.  These  lots  should  be 
stored  in  different  bins.  By  following  this  method  il 
will  not  be  necessary  to  grade  the  potatoes  at  the 
storage  house  and  will  thus  save  time  and  reduce  the 
cost  of  handling.” 

Prof.  T.  K.  Godbey  contributes  the  following  on 
storing  the  sweet  potato : 

The  secret  of  keeping  sweet  potatoes  is  ventila- 
tion. Now  we  know  that  nearly  every  one  that  puts 
up  sweet  potatoes,  makes  some  sort  of  effort  at  venti- 
lation, but  every  one  that  we  have  seen  is  either  very 
defective  or  a total  failure.  Editors  of  agricultural  pa- 
pers have  visited  us  and  tried  to  illustrate  our  method 
of  storing  potatoes  and  have  made  a failure  in  show- 
ing the  essential  part,  ventilation.  Bulletins  are 
sent  out  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  showing 
ventilators  that  do  not  ventilate.  Nearly  every  one 
that  puts  up  potatoes  provides  a way  for  the  air  to  get 
out.  but  fails  to  provide  a way  for  it  to  get  in,  hence 
the  potato  bank  is  full  of  dead  air  that  is  just  right  to 
produce  decay. 

The  accompanying  cut  shows  just  how  the  house 
is  ventilated.  Make  a V-shaped  trough  long  enough 
to  run  the  full  length  of  bank  or  house,  and  project  at 
each  end.  If  lumber  is  scarce  you  can  use  three  poles. 


62 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


Set  the  inverted  trough  on  sticks  of  wood  laid  cross- 
wise on  the  ground,  so  the  air  can  pass  out  of  1 h f 
trough  and  up  through  the  potatoes.  If  you  use  poles 
the  air  will  pass  out  between  them,  as  they  will  not 
lay  close  enough  together  to  shut  out  the  air.  Do  not 
make  any  floor  in  the  house  or  put  down  any  straw. 


hut  pour  the  potatoes  on  the  ground;  they  keep  bet- 
ter this  way.  As  soon  as  potatoes  are  housed  they 
begin  to  give  off  moisture  and  get  hot.  This  heat  cre- 
ates a draft  if  air  can  enter  at  the  bottom,  and  escape 
at  the  top  as  indicated  by  the  arrows  in  the  cut. 

After  the  potatoes  are  housed  a month  or  more, 
and  the  weather  gets  cold,  the  ventilator  can  be  clos- 
ed by  covering  the  ends  with  earth.  Potatoes  intend- 
ed for  keeping  over  winter  should  not  be  planted  early. 
We  begin  to  plant  here  (Florida)  the  first  of  July,  and 
finish  about  the  first  of  August,  and  dig  about  Decem- 
ber first.  This  gives  four  or  five  months  in  which  to 
grow,  which  is  about  right.  We  often  dig  potatoes  in 
the  rain  right  out  of  the  mud  and  pile  them  up  drip- 
ping wet,  and,  in  three  days,  with  our  ventilation,  they 
will  be  dry  and  dusty. 

Potato  banks  can  be  made  any  size  desired.  We 
usually  make  ours  about  18  feet  long,  7 feet  wide  and 
4 feet  high,  holding  about  200  bushels  each.  We  do 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


63 


not  advise  making  them  larger  than  this.  The  banks 
should  be  set  with  ends  north  and  south,  so  the  sun 
will  shine  on  either  side  of  them.  We  make 'the  ends 
double  by  putting  up  two  walls  of  boards  about  8 inch- 
es apart  and  filling  in  between  with  earth,  leaving  a 
hole  under  the  ridge  pole  for  the  air  to  pass  out.  Cov- 
er the  banks  with  boards,  being  sure  there  are  no 
leaks,  and  cover  with  earth  sufficient  to  keep  out  frost. 
If  this  method  will  not  keep  your  potatoes,  they  have 
some  defect  that  we  know  nothing  about.” 

The  method  of  keeping  sweet  potatoes  as  prac- 
ticed by  the  Georgia  State  Sanitarium  on  their  large 
farm  in  the  southern  portion  of  Baldwin  county,  op- 
erated by  that  institution,  has  proven  a great  success. 
It  is  as  follows: 

‘‘Build  a tight  house,  storm  sheet  it.  cover  with 
builders’  paper  and  weather-board  it,  coill  walls  and 
overhead,  leave  door  in  south  end.  window  in  north 
end.  Use  two  doors  and  double  windows  in  same 
opening;  one  opening  inside  and  one  outside.  This 
leaves  dead  air  space  to  keep  building  warm.  Make 
air  shaft  in  center  of  roof  and  open  it  south  with  tran- 
som above  the  roof.  Make  slotted  shelving  each  side, 
beginning  about  12  inches  from  dirt  floor,  shelves  two 
feet  apart  made  of  one-by-four  lumber,  place  one  inch 
apart  so  air  can  circulate  freely  through  the  shelves. 
Have  aisle  in  center  three  feet  wide.  Build  house  ten 
or  twelve  feet  wide  and  as  long  as  wanted.  A house 
thirty  feet  long  will  hold  about  2.000  bushels  of  po- 
tatoes. A large  stove  must  be  placed  in  the  center  of 
the  room — if  the  building  is  very  long,  two  stoves 
should  be  used.  The  room  should  be  heated  to  a tem- 
perature of  100  degrees  Fahrenheit  after  shutting  the 
doors  and  windows.  Open  transom  and  ventilating 
shaft.  It  is  necessary  to  have  a small  vent  hole  under 


64 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


the  door  for  intake  of  air  while  drying  if  the  building 
is  tight.  The  stove  must  he  heated  as  soon  as  the  first 
potatoes  are  put  in  so  as  to  begin  drying  them  at  once, 
before  they  rot,  the  idea  being  to  kiln  dry  the  pota- 
toes. It  is  highly  essential  to  get  the  moisture  out  of 
the  potatoes  as  promptly  as  possible.  About  ten  days 
steady  heat  with  a temperature  of  100  degrees  Fah- 
renheit is  required  to  thoroughly  dry  the  potatoes  af- 
ter all  of  them  have  been  placed  in  the  house.  When 
they  are  entirely  dry.  doors  and  windows  should  be 
opened  up,  after  which  the  stove  and  room  should  be 
cooled  off.  Then  keep  it  as  cool  as  possible  without 
freezing.  Forty  degrees  will  be  about  the  right  tem- 
perature for  this  purpose.  After  this  no  more  heat 
will  be  needed  during  the  winter.  In  the  event  freez- 
ing weather  should  prevail  the  doors  and  windows 
should  be  closed  to  prevent  freezing  the  potatoes. 
Ventilation  should  be  given  just  as  soon  as  the  weath- 
er has  moderated.  Where  this  method  is  followed  the 
percentage  of  loss  will  be  very  slight  indeed.  Such  a 
house  as  the  above  described  one  may  be  constructed 
with  lumber,  comparatively  cheap,  no  floor  being- 
needed.  It  is  advisable  to  select  a high,  thoroughly 
drained  location,  as  a dry  surface  is  very  essential. 
This  house  may  also  be  made  of  brick  or  stone.” 

In  concluding  this  very  important  chapter,  the 
writer  would  urge  that  the  farmer  harvest  his  sweet 
potatoes  when  the  ground  is  dry  and  the  skies  are 
clear,  if  possible;  as  the  condition  of  the  soil  when  the 
potatoes  are  dug,  and  of  the  atmosphere  when  they  are 
exposed,  will  greatly  determine  whether  they  will 
keep  or  not,  after  having  been  stored  away.  Also,  ex- 
ceeding care  should  be  exercised  that  no  bruised  or 
cut  potatoes  are  stored,  that  they  are  well  protected 
from  the  rain,  and  that  the  bank  or  house  is  properly 
ventilated. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


65 


CHAPTER  X. 


MARKETING. 

The  disposal  of  any  crop  at,  a successful  profit  to 
the  producer  is  always  a perplexing  question. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  growing  of  sweet  po- 
tatoes on  a commercial  basis  in  the  South  will  become 
a great  success  when  properly  undertaken.  Up  to  the 
present  time,  Southern  sweet  potato  growers  have  not 
been  able  to  supply  the  home  markets  during  twelve 
months  in  the  year.  Frequently  during  the  year  the 
scarcity  of  sweet  potatoes  runs  the  price  as  high  as 
one  dollar  per  bushel.  This  ought  not  to  be  so.  The 
trouble  lies  in  rushing  the  potatoes  at  digging  time  to 
the  markets,  and  also  to  the  improper  methods  of  stor- 
ing, the  producer  fearing  to  bank  his  potatoes  feeling 
almost  sure  that  he  will  lose  them  before  spring  by 
rotting. 

One  writer  claims  that  fifty  per  cent,  of  all  the 
sweet  potatoes  raised  in  the  South  never  reach  the 
market,  and  gives  as  the  cause  a lack  of  knowledge  in 
digging  properly  and  banking  so  as  to  keep  them.  We 
believe  this  statement  too  extravagant.  To  be  sure, 
many  potatoes  rot  in  the  banks;  but  many  are  con- 
sumed by  the  producer  at  home,  both  by  the  family 
and  the  stock. 

It  is  a fact.  thsLt-  if  the  growers  all  over  the  South 
want  to  learn  the  essentials  in  connection  with  sweet 
potato  growing,  that  it  will  only  be  a matter  of  a short 
time  until  the  Southern  markets  will  be  supplied; 
therefore,  if  we  ever  hope  to  make  sweet  potato  grow- 


66 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


ing  a commercial  success  here  in  l lie  Spilth,  we  must 
begin  right  now  to  secure  new  markets. 

There  are  many  densely  populated  sections  of  the 
United  States  into  which  the  sweet  potato  has  never 
been  introduced.  These  are  the  centers  into  which 
we  must  send  our  potatoes  and  thus  create  a demand. 
We  have  the  railroad  facilities,  and  the  consumers  of 
those  large  cities  are  willing  lo  pay  the  price  for  Hie 
right  kind  of  stock.  It  is  up  to  the  grower  to  furnish 
the  “Goods.” 

In  order  to  meet  these  requirements  and  to  get 
enough  potatoes  of  some  one  variety  that  will  fdl  the 
hill,  we  would  suggest  community  potato  growing; 
that  is,  let  the  farmers  of  any  community  form  a sweet 
potato  club.  Let  them  all  set  out  the  same  variety  of 
plants,  making  sure  that  they  are  true  to  name  and 
that  the  strain  is  pure.  This  can  be  done  by  all  club- 
bing together  and  buying  pure  seed  potatoes  for  bed- 
ding purposes,  from  seed  growers  of  good  repute;  or 
by  ordering  pure  strain  plants  of  the  variety  wanted, 
from  reputable  plant  growers.  By  thus  clubbing  to- 
gether they  can  save  much  money  in  buying  commer- 
cial fertilizers,  up-to-date  machinery  adapted  to  sweet 
potato  growing,  seed  and  plants. 

The  club  could,  at  stated  times,  have  illustrated 
lectures  by  men  who  are  experts,  not  only  in  the  grad- 
ing of  sweet  potatoes  but  in  packing  and  grading  for 
I he  markets.  Again,  by  growing  a sufficient  quantity 
of  one  variety,  enough  graded  potatoes  could  he  se- 
cured so  as  to  ship  in  carload  lots. 

A few  years  ago  two  carloads  of  as  fine  potatoes 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


G7 


as  ever  grown  in  the  South,  were  sent  from  Homeland, 
Georgia,  to  the  cities  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  The 
potatoes  were  graded,  in  a manner,  but  they  did  not 
meet  with  the  popular  fancy  of  the  Northern  buyers ; 
they  wanted  an  “oval”  potato,  not  very  large,  uniform 
in  grading  and  a potato  with  a sugary,  mealy  texture. 

The  most  of  the  potatoes  shipped  in  those  two 
cars  were  the  Norton  or  Dooly  Yam.  an  excellent  all- 
round potato  and  of  the  best  potatoes  for  home  use  in 
the  Southern  markets;  and  the  Triumph,  a potato  that 
suld  fairly  well,  as  it  filled  the  bill  so  far  as  the  quality 
of  the  potato  was  concerned.  The  experiment  with 
these  two  cars  was  not  an  utter  failure  for  the  growers 
in  a financial  way.  but  it  was  a great  success  to  them 
in  teaching  a lesson  that  life  is  too  short  and  adver- 
tising too  expensive  to  change  the  tastes  of  fifty  mil- 
lion people.  Therefore,  it  behooves  us  to  grow  a po- 
tato and  grow  them  in  such  a way  as  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  the  markets  to  which  we  wish  to  cater. 

The  Jersey  types  seem  to  be  the  best  potato  thus 
far  for  the  Northern  markets.  The  South  does  not  yet 
have  a perfect  type  to  suit  these  markets.  The 
Triumph  grows  too  large  and  too  long;  yet  we  believe, 
by  a proper  seed  selection  of  those  inclined  to  be  short, 
oval,  light  yellow,  and  smooth  texture,  it  may  be  pos- 
sible to  breed  the  Triumph  up  to  a fuller  yield  of  grad- 
able  potatoes. 

It  is  possible  that  the  Big  Stem  Jersey,  the  South- 
ern Queen  and  Yellow  Nansemond  will  be  the  varie- 
ties selected  to  furnish  potatoes  for  the  Northern 
markets. 

May  we  not  have  an  entirely  new  variety  origi- 
nated here  in  the  South  which  will  embody  all  the 
qualities  of  a potato  demanded  by  these  Northern  buy- 


68 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


ers?  We  have  a host  of  plant  specialists  who  are 
ho th  intelligent  and  capable.  What  Prof.  Godbey,  of 
Waldo,  Florida,  has  done  in  originating  the  Triumph, 
that  has  admirably  tilled  the  want  in  the  South  for  a 
yellow  meated.  dry,  mealy  potato,  can't  lie,  or  some 
other  grower,  perfect  a variety  that  will  1111  the  re- 
quirements? Let  us  hope  for  this  new  potato. 

A good  suggestion  right  here  is  for  a number  of 
planters  throughout  the  South  to  grade  several  nice 
hampers  of  the  finest  potatoes  grown  and  send  them 
to  a commission  man  in  the  North  and  ask  him  to  sell 
them.  It  is  quite  likely  that  the  returns  will  not  he 
much  in  a financial  way,  but  you  might  create  a per- 
manent market  for  carload  lots.  Another  plan  is  to 
send  a box  of  your  nicest  graded  potatoes,  by  Parcel 
Post,  to  your  friends  in  the  North  and  ask  them  to 
share  with  their  friends,  and  in  this  way  create  a de- 
mand for  our  Southern  Grown  Potatoes. 

It  is  a conservative  estimate  to  say  that  the  South 
ought  to  be  shipping  thirty  million  dollars'  worth  of 
sweet  potatoes,  into  the  North  and  Northwest  every 
year. 

GRADING. 

All  large  and  small  potatoes  should  be  thrown 
aside  and  only  potatoes  of  an  oval  shape,  clear  skin, 
and  weighing  from  a half  pound  to  three-quarters  of 
a pound  each,  selected  for  shipping. 

PACKING. 

Potatoes  should  be  either  shipped  in  barrels  or 
bushel  hampers.  If  barrels  are  used,  we  would  not 
put  in  the  heads  at  all.  We  would  pack  the  graded 
potatoes  in  layers  until  the  barrel  was  just  full;  then 
cover  with  a sack  or  cloth,  place  the  top  hoop  back  on 
and  secure  fast  with  small  nails.  If  hampers  are  used. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


69 


we  would  pack  with  the  same  care  as  in  barrels. In 
either  case  we  would  be  very  careful  not  to  include  a 
single  .bruised  potato,  nor  one  bitten  in  the  least  by 
I ho  frost.  By  observing  these  essentials  in  grading 
and  packing,  il  is  highly  probable  that  in  a few  years 
we  will  lie  shipping  I be  Northern  market  and  be 
bringing  back  into  the  South  many  million  dollars 
'I hat  we  are  sending  North  every  year  for  hay  and 
other  products. 


70 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


CHAPTER  XI. 


CONCLUSION. 

In  bringing  this  volume  to  a close,  the  writer 
wishes  to  emphasize  several  phases  of  the  work  al- 
ready treated  in  this  book  as  well  as  some  other  points 
which  we  omitted.  “We  learn  to  do  a thing  by  doing 
it”  is  an  old  adage.  Thus  by  fixing  certain  details 
connected  with  successful  sweet  potato  growing  up- 
on our  mind  until  it  becomes  a part  of  us.  a “second 
nature,”  success  is  assured. 

The  authors  of  this  book  believe  that  anyone  who 
can  induce  a grower  to  make  two  dollars  where  he 
made  one  before,  is  a public  benefactor.  We  believe 
by  applying  scientific  methods  in  whatever  we  do.  al- 
ways keeping  a record  of  what  we  are  doing,  and  how 
we  did  it,  that  “two  blades  of  grass  can  be  made  to 
grow  where  but  one  grew  before.”  Let  us  then  be 
systematic. 

A grower  who  uses  system  in  whatever  he  does 
knows  what  to  expect  under  normal  conditions  and 
what  not  to  expect  under  abnormal  conditions.  If  he 
plants  an  acre  in  sweet  potatoes  when  a good  season 
is  mi.  in  well  prepared  land,  at  the  proper  time  to  plant 
for  the  best  yield  in  his  particular  locality,  his  records 
will  show  he  has  a right  to  expect  a certain  number 
of  bushels  and  should  not  miss  the  yield  very  far. 

Let  us  do  a little  figuring.  In  an  acre  there  are 
43.560  square  feet.  If  he  plants  his  potatoes  a foot 
and  a half  apart  on  the  row.  and  four  feet  between 
the  rows,  a plant  requires  six  square  feet,  and  divid- 
ing 43.560  by  six  gives  us  7,260  the  amount  of  plants 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


71 


required  per  acre;  if  the  rows  are  put  three  and  a 
half  feet  apart  and  the  plants  a foot  and  a half  apart  on 
I he  row  it  would  require  8.297  plants  per  acre;  if  the 
rows  are  put  3 feet  apart  and  the  plants  one  and  a 
half  feet  it  would  require  9,680  plants  per  acre.  Let 
us  repeat  the  method  of  finding  out  the  number  of 
plants  required  per  acre.  Multiply  the  distance  the 
rows  are  apart  by  the  distance  the  plants  are  set  on 
the  row.  and  divide  this  product  into  43.560.  the  num- 
ber of  square  feet  in  an  acre.  The  answer  will  be  the 
required  number. 

Suppose  a grower  wants  to  set  out  an  acre  of 
land  into  paper  shell  pecans,  and  desires  to  set  the 
trees  fifty  feet  apart  each  way.  Multiply  50  by  50  and 
you  get  2,500,  divide  this  into  43,560  and  the  answer 
is  17.  Therefore  you  will  need  seventeen  trees  to  fill 
the  acre. 

Now  let  us  figure  a little  on  the  future  yield  of  an 
acre  of  sweet  potatoes.  Suppose  the  rows  are  four 
feet  apart  and  the  plants  set  one  and  a half  foot  apart 
on  the  row.  gives  us  7,260  hills  of  potatoes;  figuring 
two  pounds  per  lull,  gives  us  14,520  pounds  and  divid- 
ing by  55  the  number  of  pounds  in  a bushel,  we  get 
264.  the  number  of  bushels  per  acre.  This  is  not  an 
extravagant  yield.  An  acre,  well  planted  ought  to 
yield  this  amount.  Every  plant  ought  to  make  some 
potatoes  and  if  rightly  planted  will  do  so.  Of  course, 
there  will  be  disappointments  in  sweet  potato  grow- 
ing as  in  all  oilier  things.  A few  years  ago  a young- 
man  came  from  the  North  and  after  studying  the  dif- 
ferent crops  which  would  make  any  one  rich,  he 
bought  a few  acres  of  land  and  decided  to  make  his 
fortune  on  growing  sweet  potatoes.  He  figured  it  all 
out  on  paper.  His  results  there  were  indeed  encourag- 
ing. He  planted  three  acres.  He  figured  on  24.000 


72 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


hills,  and  a half  peck  lo  the  hill,  or  12,000  pecks, 
or  3,000  bushels  at  50c  per  bushel,  would  yield  him 
$1,500,  for  the  first  year. 

Now  let  us  see  what  he  did.  He  planted  the  pota- 
toes in  an  old  worn  out  field  devoid  of  humus,  from 
which  (he  little  trash  left  on  it  had  been  burned 
the  previous  winter,  lie  plowed  and  harrowed  and 
threw  up  the  ridges  and  planted.  He  put  about  300 
pounds  of  fertilizer  (8.  2.  2.)  lo  the  acre.  He  cultivat- 
ed as  any  one  should  do.  Many  of  the  vines  never  grew 
a foot  long.  His  harvest  came  and  from  the  three 
acres  he  dug  about  50  bushels.  His  disappointment 
was  great.  He  decided  he  would  plan!  no  more  sweet 
potatoes.  He  decided  he  would  not  buy  any  more 
land. 

Now  let  us  look  into  Hus  fellow’s  failure.  In  the 
first  place  his  land  was  too  poor,  no  humus,  worn  oul 
physically.  Then  he  did  not  plant  the  kind  adapted 
to  his  particular  locality  and  to  that  kind  of  soil,  and 
in  fact  no  variety  will  do  well  in  such  soil.  He  did  not 
give  time  enough  to  preparation  of  the  soil,  llis  fer- 
tilizer was  miserably  poor,  and  lacked  the  principal 
elements  necessary  to  a successful  crop,  namely,  phos- 
phoric acid,  ammonia,  and  potash. 

Since  then,  the  writer  has  grown  at  the  rate  of 
600  bushels  of  sweet  potatoes  on  the  same  ground. 
He  planted  cowpeas  on  this  land  the  year  before,  and 
used  a fertilizer  analyzing  6-4-10  at  the  rate  of  80*3 
pounds  per  acre.  This  was  home  mixed,  and  was 
pul  on  in  two  applications.  Let  us  “cut  out"  the  bar- 
ren lulls  of  whatever  we  plant. 

Let  us  now  mention  a few  diseases  that  the  sweet 
potato  is  heir  to  in  this  country.  The  first  is  the 
“root  rot”  and  affects  plants  grown  in  hot  beds,  and 


Mr.  Preston’s  Sweet  Potato  Plant  Beds  at  Pinecastle,  Fla. 


Beautiful  Lake  at  Pinecastle,  Florida,  from  which  water  is  used  in  irrigating  plant  beds. 


Mr.  Pitts’  Sweet  Potato  Plant  Beds  Near  Hampton,  Fla. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


73 


is  thought  to  be  caused  by  the  ammonia  in  the  domes- 
tic manure.  Plants  thus  affected  should  be  fed  to  the 
hogs.  The  next  disease  is  the  "vine  blight”  and  is 
mostly  a local  disease.  It  happens  to  vines  that  have 
been  severely  pruned,  or  to  vines  grown  in  land  that 
is  sour,  or  lands  deficient  in  humus.  It  is  caused  pri- 
marily by  some  physical  derangement  of  the  soil.  An- 
other disease,  though  not  common  in  the  South,  is 
the  "black  rot”  that  affects  the  tubers.  It  occurs  most 
frequently  in  potatoes  kept  in  storing  houses,  and  es- 
pecially noticeable  in  the  northern  limits  of  the  south- 
ern states.  Some  say  it  is  caused  by  foul  air.  The 
cause  is  not  definitely  known.  One  thing  is  sure,  we 
seldom  see  it  in  potatoes  kept  by  the  “bank”  method. 

In  final  conclusion  the  writer  wishes  to  impress 
upon  the  grower  the  importance  of  keeping  a record 
of  all  he  does  on  the  farm.  Make  farming  a “business” 
the  same  as  the  merchant.  Study  the  bulletins  issued 
by  the  State  Experiment  farms,  and  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  at  Washington,  D.  C.  A post  card  will 
bring  what  you  want.  Index  these  bulletins  so  you  can 
find  what  you  want  in  a minute’s  time.  Study  rotation 
of  crops.  Co-operate  with  your  progressive  neighbors. 
Take  a day  off  now  and  then  and  go  way  off  in  the 
next  county  and  see  how  they  do  things.  Work  in  a 
new  crop  each  year  until  you  have  so  diversified  that 
cotton  becomes  a surplus  crop  only.  Make  your  farm 
pay. 

That  success  may  be  yours  not  only  in  sweet  pota- 
to growing  but  in  every  endeavor  put  forth  on  the 
farm  for  your  betterment  is  the  wish  of  the  author. 


74 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


CHAPTER  XII 


COMMERCIAL  SWEET  POTATO  PLANT  GROWING  IN  THE 
STATE  OF  FLORIDA. 

‘"The  whole  State  is  a plant  factory,  an  immense 
open-air  greenhouse,  whose  resources  have  not  been 
scratched  so  far."  This  assertion  was  made  not  long 
ago  by  a newspaper  reporter,  after  having  seen  the 
sights  of  nature's  great  plant  garden  as  he  traveled 
from  one  end  of  the  Peninsula  to  the  other.  The  gen- 
tleman told  the  truth. 

The  writer  lias  just  made  a complete  tour  of  t lie 
State  of  Florida  that  we  might  be  able  to  give  to  our 
readers  the  real  truth  of  what  is  being  accomplished 
in  Ibis  particular  phase  of  the  sweet  potato  industry, 
commercial  sweet  potato  plant  growing.  On  this  trip 
we  visited  practically  all  the  leading  plant  growers 
and  truckers.  From  the  Georgia  line  to  Tampa  Bay 
we  saw  it  all.  and  were  made  to  realize  that  "the  half 
has  not  been  told”  of  Florida’s  wonderful  resources. 

Especially  in  her  adaptabilities  to  plant  growing, 
no  other  state  in  the  South,  and  no  other  country  in 
the  world  can  be  compared  to  Florida.  We  realize 
the  magnitude  of  such  an  assertion,  but  we  do  not 
think  that  we  are  covering  any  too  much  territory 
when  we  make  it.  for  we  have  seen  with  our  own  eyes 
and  know  whereof  we  speak. 

In  order  that  our  readers  may  have  a better  ap- 
preciation of  what  is  being  accomplished  in  commer- 
cial sweet  potato  plant  growing,  how  and  by  whom 
such  wonders  are  being  wrought,  we  are  devoting  this 
entire  chapter  to  the  histories  and  achievements  of  the 
men  whose  effects  are  playing  the  leading  part  in  the 
growth  and  development  of  this  modern  industry. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


75 


PROF.  T.  K.  GODBEY.  OF  WALDO.  FLORIDA,  FIRST 
COMMERCIAL  SWEET  POTATO  PLANT  GROW- 
ER AND  ORIGINATOR  OF  THE  FAMOUS 
TRIUMPH  VARIETY. 

We  are  glad  <o  pre- 
sent our  readers  with  a 
cut  and  brief  history  of 
the  man  that  has  done 
more  for  sweet  potato 
growing  than  any  other 
living  man,  Mr.  T.  K. 
Godbey,  of  Waldo.  Flor- 
ida. 

This  gentleman  was 
born  in  Missouri  in 
1858,  and  moved  to 
Florida  in  1883.  and  en- 
gaged in  fruit  growing. 
Godbey’s  Seedless  Persimmon,  a magnificent  fruit 
often  weighing  eighteen  ounces,  entirely  seedless  and 
of  the  finest  quality,  and  Godbey’s  ever-blooming  Wis- 
teria.  are  among  his  achievements. 

The  great  freeze  of  1895  destroyed  his  orange 
grove  and  fruit  orchards  and  he  turned  his  attention  to 
general  farming.  Mr.  Godbey.  desirous  of  engaging 
in  a line  of  work  that  would  not  put  him  in  competi- 
tion with  the  great  mass  of  farmers  in  the  South,  has 
never  planted  a hill  of  cotton  in  his  life,  but  saw  in 
the  sweet  potato  a vegetable  that,  while  it  found  a 
welcome  place  on  the  tables  of  the  rich  and  poor  alike, 
was  sadly  neglected  as  to  efforts  for  improvements; 
and  to  give  it  prominence,  such  as  it  deserved,  as  a 


76 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


commercial  product  of  the  South.  Mr.  Godbey  began 
commercial  sweet  potato  growing  in  1897  by  bedding 
out  twenty-five  bushels  of  the  Bunch  Yam  and  offering 
plants  for  sale. 

His  neighbors  made  fun  of  his  venture  and  told 
him  he  could  never  sell  the  plants  off  of  so  many  po- 
tatoes; but  he  did  sell  them  and  increased  his  plant- 
ings. from  year  to  year,  until  in  1912  he  had  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  25,000  bushels  bedded  out  to  furnish 
It's  trade  in  plants.  Now  the  plant  growing  business 
has  been  taken  up  by  hundreds  of  others  scattered  over 
the  South,  and  the  business  has  only  just  begun. 

As  already  stated,  the  Bunch  Yam  was  his  start- 
ing point.  This  was  soon  superceded  in  popularity 
by  the  Providence  and  Providence  by  Nancy  Nall,  and 
it  is  only  a question  of  time  when  Triumph  will  per- 
haps be  in  the  lead.  Providence.  Nancy  Hall  and  God- 
bey’s  Triumph  are  all  Florida  seedlings  and  were  all 
introduced  into  public  favor  by  Mr.  Godbey. 

Mr.  Godbey's  contention  is  that  no  matter  what 
others  may  claim,  the  only  way  to  produce  new  varie- 
ties of  sweet  potatoes  is  by  planting  the  seed  that  is 
produced  on  the  vine  above  ground  from  the  blossoms, 
and  any  one  claiming  to  have  produced  new  sorts  in 
any  other  way  is  a fraud. 

He  further  states  that  Florida  is  the  only  state  in 
the  Union  where  the  sweet  potato  blossoms  and  ma- 
tures seed  from  the  blossom;  that  they  may  bloom  fur- 
ther north,  but  they  do  not  mature  the  seed,  and  ma- 
ture seed  in  Florida  is  very  rare.  "The  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  sometimes  imports  sweet  potato 
seed  from  the  West  India  Islands  and  other  tropical 
countries  where  seed  is  produced,  but  I have  never 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


77 


seen  any  oi'  these  seedlings  that  had  any  show  of  com- 
peting with  the  Florida  product,”  says  Mr.  Godbey. 

Mr.  Godbey  has  devoted  much  time  to  the  pro- 
duction of  new  seedling  sweet  potatoes  and  has  pro- 
duced a great  many  new  varieties;  but  unless  the  new 
sort  shows  decided  improvement  over  all  the  other 
sorts  now  in  general  favor,  it  is  cast  into  the  limbo  of 
things  forgotten.  So  far  the  Triumph  is  the  only  one 
of  his  seedlings  that  he  has  regarded  as  worthy  of  a 
name,  but  in  the  past  three  years  Mr.  Godbey  has  pro- 
duced some  seedlings  that  possess  the  earliness,  pro- 
ductiveness. long-keeping  quality  and  freedom  from 
disease  of  the  Triumph,  with  the  fine  form,  color  and 
quality  of  the  Nancy  Hall.  These  new  sorts  are  now 
undergoing  a most  rigid  test  and  the  most  promising 
will  soon  be  introduced  as  the  King  of  Sweet  Potatoes. 


78 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


mr.  oh  as.  m.  McKinney,  of  louise,  Florida. 

COMMERCIAL  PLANT  GROWER  AND 
GENERAL  FARMER. 


We  will  here  introduce  to  our  readers  Mr.  Chas. 
M.  McKinney,  one  of  Florida's  most  progressive  farm- 
ers and  largest  commercial  sweet  potato  plant  grow- 
ers. 

This  gentleman  is  a native  of  'The  Land  of  Flow- 
ers.” and  for  the  past  37  years  has  resided  at  his  pres- 
ent address  where  he  has  built  one  of  the  most  ideal 
farms  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  State  of  Florida. 

While  engaged  in  general  farming.  Mr.  McKinney 
makes  a specialty  of  commercial  sweet  potato  plant 
growing.  To  this  phase  of  his  farming  industry  he 
has  given  his  most  attentive  care  for  the  past  several 
years  with  the  result  that  he  has  today  perhaps  the 
most  immense  business  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 

This  gentleman  has  had  about  20  years  experience 
in  the  plant  business,  and  was  the  second  man  to  en- 
gage in  sweet  potato  plant  growing  in  the  South. 
He  ranks  at  the  very  front  as  a quantity  producer, 
there  being  few,  if  any.  other  growers  in  this  business 
who  produce  as  many  sweet  potato  plants. 

Last  season  Mr.  McKinney  produced  and  shipped 
to  his  customers  TEN  MILLION  sweet  potato  plants 
from  his  plant  grounds  near  Louise,  mostly  of  the 
Nancy  Hall  variety,  at  a retail  price  of  $1.50  per  thous- 
and. 

This  Florida  planter  is  also  a great  seed  potato 
grower.  Every  year  he  grows  from  eight  to  ten  thous- 
and bushels  of  seed  sweet  potatoes  from  the  choicest 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


79 


varieties.  His  varieties  for  both  seed  and  plants  are 
the  Nancy  Hall.  Golden  Beauty.  Porto  Kico  and  Bed 
Providence. 

Mr.  McKinney  would  have  the  public  know  that 
he  never  ships  the  other  fellow's  product;  that  bis 
customers,  when  they  order  from  him,  get  plants 
grown  by  Chas  M.  McKinney  on  his  big  farm  near 
Louise.  Florida. 

We  might  here  state  that  it  is  a practice  of  some 
sweet  potato  plant  shippers  to  depend  on  the  other 
fellow  to  produce  the  goods  for  their  trade.  This  is 
not  the  practice  of  Mr.  McKinney,  but  when  he  ships 
TEN  MILLION  sweet  potato  plants  be  has  grown  those 
plants  on  his  own  farm. 

His  plant  grounds  are  well  equipped  with  an  up- 
to-date  watering  system.  This  greatly  increases  the 
yield  from  his  potato  beds,  and  is  a sure  protection 
against  drouth. 

To  our  readers  who  make  a practice  of  ordering 
their  sweet  potato  plants  for  early  spring  setting  we 
commend  this  gentleman  to  their  confidence  and  pat- 
ronage. 


80 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


MR.  WILLIAM  MAG  KLIN  OF  DINSMORE.  FLORIDA. 
TRUCK  AND  COMMERCIAL  PLANT 
GROWER. 


We  wish  to  introduce  to  our  readers  Mr.  William 
Macklin  of  Dinsmore,  Florida,  one  of  the  South’s  lead- 
ing truckers  and  commercial  plant  growers. 

This  gentleman  is  a native  of  Ireland,  where  he 
was  born,  reared,  and  spent  his  younger  manhood 
days.  At  the  age  of  29  he  came  to  this  country,  and 
immediately  engaged  in  truck  farming  on  a small  scale 
at  Dinsmore,  Florida.  Today  Mr.  Macklin  owns  and 
operates  the  largest  truck  farm  and  plant  industry  in 
Duval  County,  Florida. 

Some  years  ago,  finding  that  he  had  to  grow  such 
large  quantities  of  plants  for  his  own  farm,  Mr.  Mack- 
lin began  shipping  his  surplus  supply  to  other  grow- 
ers; but  before  doing  so  he  made  for  himself  one  hard 
and  fast  rule,  viz.:  That  if  a plant  was  not  sufficiently 
strong,  healthy,  and  in  every  way  fit  to  set  out  for  his 
own  crop,  it  was  not  fit  for  anyone  -else.  To  this  rule 
he  has  steadfastly  adhered  ever  since,  with  the  result 
that  each  year  his  shipments  of  plants  have  doubled 
and  some  seasons  have  trebled;  and  he  states  that  he 
has  yet  to  hear  from  his  first  dissatisfied  cutsomer. 

About  six  years  ago  Mr.  Macklin  decided  to  test 
commercial  sweet  potato  plant  growing.  The  results 
have  been  marvelous.  With  the  first  season  of  this 
experiment,  he  shipped  only  a few  thousand  as  his 
bedding  was  very  light;  but  with  each  season  since, 
his  bedding  has  been  heavier,  and  of  course  produc- 
tion of  these  plants  greater,  until  last  season  he  ship- 
ped 850,000  sweet  potato  plants  from  his  farm  at  Dins- 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


81 


more  to  his  customers  throughout  the  South  and  West, 
receiving  for  them  -SI. 75  a thousand  f.  o.  b.  Dinsmore, 
making  a gross  income  from  his  potato  plants  alone 
of  $1,487.50. 

His  potato  plants  are  grown  from  the  following 
varieties:  The  Triumph.  Norton  Yam,  Providence. 

Sugar  and  Porto  Rico  Yams. 

If  Mr.  Macklin  has  a ' hobby",  (and  he  has)  it  is 
PURE  SEED;  therefore,  to  insure  this,  he  grows  his 
own  potatoes  for  bedding  purposes,  giving  to  this 
phase  of  his  work  special  attention. 

Weather  conditions  throughout  the  season  of 
plant  growing  determines  the  ability  of  many  plant 
growers  to  supply  the  demands  of  their  customers, 
whose  orders  for  plants  perhaps  have  been  booked  far 
in  advance  of  the  shipping  season;  but  this  is  not  so 
with  Mr.  Macklin  who  has  his  place  well  equipped 
with  an  up-to-date  irrigation  plant  of  the  famous 
Skinner  System  which  absolutely  insures  well  grown 
plants  “on  time”  regardless  of  weather  conditions. 

Mr.  Macklin  attributes  his  success  in  the  plant 
business  to  the  following  reasons: 

1.  By  never  sending  to  anyone  a single  plant  that 
he  would  not  use  in  setting  out  his  own  crop. 

2.  By  using  only  the  best  strains  of  seed  that  can 
be  obtained,  price  no  object. 

3.  By  keeping  his  promises,  and  turning  away 
orders  rather  than  book  them  for  dates  that  he  can- 
not make  good. 

4.  By  unfailing  courtesy  to  every  inquirer,  wheth- 
er there  is  anything  in  it  for  him  or  not.  No  letter 


82 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


oi*  question  left  unanswered  just  because  il  might  ap- 
pear as  though  he  could  not  make  a sale. 

5.  More  plants  or  the  money  back,  if  through  any 
fault  of  his  there  is  anything  the  matter  with  your 
plants  when  you  receive  them. 

‘'If  these  are  not  llie  reasons  for  my  success, 
then  I do  not  know  why  I have  succeeded  any  more 
than  you  do,”  says  Mr.  Macklin. 

In  his  interest  in  the  success  of  his  customers,  in 
all  cases,  in  treatment  or  cultivation  of  their  crops,  or 
of  overcoming  enemies  or  difficulties  peculiar  to  it. 
Mr.  Macklin  would  have  them  write  for  information 
which  he  will  fully  and  cheerfully  give.  His  knowl- 
edge of  the  growing  and  marketing  of  the  sweet  pota- 
to crop  is  as  full  and  complete  as  that  of  anyone  in 
the  Southern  States. 

We  heartily  commend  Mr.  Macklin  to  our  readers 
as  one  whose  efforts  and  ability  have  contributed 
largely  to  the  phenomenal  growth  and  unparalleled 
success  of  this  comparatively  new  industry-  Commer- 
cial Sweet  Potato  Plant  Growing. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


S3 


MR.  J.  W.  STAF,  OF  WALDO,  FLORIDA. 
PLANT  GROWER. 


When  it  comes  to  delivering  1 lie  "Goods"  as  a 
quality  producer.  Mr.  J.  W.  Staf,  of  Waldo,  Florida, 
has  few  peers  in  the  commercial  plant  business. 

In  the  year  1910  Mr.  Staf  began  growing  the  sweet 
potato  plant  as  a commercial  product.  He  at  once 
adopted  the  very  wise  policy  of  giving  not  the  most 
to  his  customers  for  their  money,  but  the  best  that 
could  he  produced.  Not  only  does  he  use  the  best 
varieties  for  his  bedding,  but  special  care  is  taken 
that  the  proper  means  be  employed  necessary  to  the 
production  of  the  most  perfect  plants. 

Through  years  of  actual  experience  this  gentle- 
man has  learned  that  the  cost  of  producing  plants 
possessing  real  quality  is  much  greater  than  those 
grown  with  very  little  care  and  attention;  and  that 
the  quality  producer  must  get  a better  price  for  his 
goods,  therefore,  his  potato  plants  retail  for  $2.00  per 
thousand  f.  o.  b.  shipping  point. 

When  asked  by  the  writer  if  he  did  not  find  it 
difficult  to  dispose  of  his  plants,  when  so  many  of  his 
competitors  were  selling  at  a lower  price,  he  very 
positively  replied  that  he  had  never  been  able  to  sup- 
ply the  demand  for  his  plants. 

So  this  goes  to  prove  that  the  public  appreciates 
quality  in  a sweet  potato  plant  as  well  as  in  other 
things;  and  that  the  fellow  who  follows  quality  pro- 
duction, even  in  the  sweet  potato  business,  is  bound  to 
succeed. 

As  we  have  already  intimated.  Mr.  Staf  is  not  a 


84 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


quantity  producer.  Last  season  he  shipped  to  his 
trade  a little  less  than  500.000  sweet  potato  plants  of 
the  famous  Triumph,  Nancy  Hall,  and  Porto  Rico  Yam 
varieties  at  a retail  price  of  $2.00  per  thousand. 

Mr.  Staf  informs  us  that  lie  never  has  a "kick" 
on  the  quality  of  his  plants;  and  in  the  event  of  an 
error  in  count,  which  some  times  occurs  with  every 
plant  shipper,  same  has  his  prompt  attention  and  ad- 
justment. as  his  chief  aim  is  to  please  his  customers. 

Our  readers  will  find  Mr.  Staf  a very  satisfactory 
plant  grower  to  do  business  with. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


S6 


ORIGIN  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE  NANCY  HALL 
SWEET  POTATO. 


In  1888,  tiie  writer  was  conducting  a general  mer- 
chandise store  at  Pinecastle.  Fla.  Among  the  things 
kept  m stock  was  garden  and  flower  seed.  Miss  Nancy 
Hall,  then  a young  lady  of  sixteen,  came  in  the  store 
and  purchased  of  him  a package  of  Morning  Glory  seed. 
This  was  in  the  spring  of  1888 — twenty-seven  years 
ago.  She  lived  three  miles  out  in  the  country,  and  on 
reaching  home  she  placed  some  earth  in  a box  and 
planted  the  seed,  expecting  soon  to  have  some  beauti- 
ful morning  glories.  She  was  disappointed;  only  one 
plant  came  up  and  instead  of  sending  up  graceful 
climbing  vines,  covered  with  violet  blue  flowers,  it 
sent  out  a fat  clumsy  vine,  trailing  on  the  ground. 
The  vine  grew  to  be  several  feet  long  and  looked  so 
much  like  a sweet  potato  plant,  she  decided  that  it 
really  was  one,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  morning 
glory  seed  had  been  planted.  The  vine  was  cut  into 
several  pieces  and  planted  in  well  prepared  soil.  They 
grew  and  flourished.  Imagine  the  young  lady's  sur- 
prise when  in  the  fall  she  dug  them  and  found  eight 
to  ten  oval  shaped,  yellow  meated  beauties  in  each 
hill.  The  news  soon  spread  that  a new  sweet  potato 
had  been  found.  Just  enough  of  them  were  eaten  to 
test  their  eating  quality,  which  was  found  to  be  all 
that  could  be  desired.  The  others  were  carefully  saved 
for  seed  and  planted  the  following  season.  From 
this  small  beginning  it  has  spread  until  it  covers  the 
Southern  States  and  is  today  the  most  popular  sweet 
potato  grown,  and  justly  so. 

There  are  three  essentials  that  go  to  make  the 
ideal  sweet  potato,  viz:  Productiveness,  eating  and 


86 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


keeping  qualities.  All  of  these  qualities  are  found  in 
the  Nancy  Hall  Potato,  in  the  superlative  degree. 

The  writer,  after  having  shipped  many  carloads 
of  this  potato  to  the  commission  men  of  Atlanta.  Ga.. 
visited  in  that  city  and  interviewed  the  merchants  on 
the  sweet  potato  question.  In  talking  with  the  head 
of  one  of  the  leading  houses  1 named  a certain  variety 
of  potato  and  asked  how  he  liked  to  handle  these.  His 
reply  was  that  they  grew  loo  large,  rough  and  un- 
shapely. Another  variety  that  I named  he  said  1 ha l 
I hey  rotted  too  easily.  When  I mentioned  Ihe  Nancy 
Hall,  lie  said  that  was  THE  kind,  that  they  were  of 
the  right  size  and  shape,  and  their  eating  and  keeping 
qualities  were  the  best.  Unfortunately  many  growers 
have  planted  this  variety  with  others,  until  they  have 
become  badly  mixed. 

The  writer,  early  in  the  history  of  this  potato, 
secured  the  real  article  and  has  since  planted  nothing 
else,  and  I can  therefore  assure  my  customers  that 
when  they  buy  of  me  they  will  get  the  Genuine  Nancy 
Hall  Potato  Plant.  J.  W.  MATCHETT, 

Pinecastle,  Florida. 


Comment  by  author: 

The  writer  of  the  foregoing  article  is  one  of 
Orange  County,  Florida’s  most  substantial  farmers  and 
a very  extensive  Commercial  Plant  Grower. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


87 


MR.  W.  P.  PITTS,  OF  HAMPTON,  FLORIDA, 
COMMERCIAL  PLANT  GROWER. 


One  mils  down  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railroad 
south  of  Hampton  is  one  of  the  completest  plant  farms 
in  all  the  State  of  Florida. 

The  gentleman  in  charge  of  this  model  little 
farming  industry  is  one  Prof.  W.  P.  Pitts,  a man  of 
various  accomplishments.  He  is  not  only  a horti- 
culturist of  ability,  but  is  a man  of  literary  attainments 
as  well  who  has  given  much  of  bis  service  to  the 
cause  of  education  as  a teacher. 

Several  years  ago  Mr.  Pitts  engaged  in  com- 
mercial sweet  potato  plant  growing  in  a very 
small  way;  but  as  he  began  to  realize  the  wonderful 
possibilities  of  his  new  enterprise,  his  efforts  were 
exerted  on  a broader  scale  to  supply  the  demand  for 
these  plants.  Today  Mr.  Pitts  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive plant  growers  in  the  State  of  Florida,  and  is 
recognized  as  authority  on  the  sweet  potato  subject. 

Every  year  this  Florida  planter  grows  thousands 
of  bushels  of  seed  sweet  potatoes  from  the  best  varie- 
ties. which  tie  markets  to  the  retail  trade  at  a price 
of  $3.50  per  barrel.  He  also  grows  his  potatoes  for  his 
own  bedding  purposes. 

Every  season  he  ships  millions  of  sweet  po- 
tato plants  from  his  farm  near  Hampton  to  his  thous- 
ands of  satisfied  customers  throughout  the  Southern 
States.  His  varieties  are:  The  Golden  Beauty.  Nancy 
Hall  and  Triumph. 

Prof.  Pitts  enjoys  quite  a wide  reputation  as  a 
quality  producer.  He  believes  in  applying  Ihe  law  of 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


“(he  survival  of  the  fittest"  to  sweet  potato  plants  as 
well  as  anything  else.  If  his  plants  fail  to  measure  up 
to  his  required  standard,  they  are  cast  aside  as  unfit. 

In  offering  his  potato  plants  for  sale.  Mr.  Pitts, 
gives  out  a price  list  that  is  properly  in  keeping  with 
the  times  of  the  season  when  the  plants  are  to  be  ship- 
ped. This  rule  should  be  adopted  by  every  potato 
plant  grower  in  the  South,  for  sweet  potato  plants  for 
April  setting  are  worth  more  than  those  for  later  set- 
ting, as  it  costs  more  to  produce  early  sweet  potato 
plants.  And  too,  plants  for  July  setting  are  not  worth 
more  than  half  those  produced  for  April  setting.  Mr. 
Pitts  will  be  glad  to  furnish  this  price  list  to  any  one 
on  request. 

With  the  very  best  natural  advantages,  and  one 
of  the  best  irrigation  plants  in  the  State.  Mr.  Pitts  is 
certainly  in  a position  to  deliver  to  his  customers  the 
best  sweet  potato  plants  to  be  had.  and  we  assure  our 
readers  that  they  will  find  this  gentleman  honest  and 
obliging  in  all  his  business  dealings. 


Prof.  Godbey  Irrigating  Plant  Grounds,  Waldo,  Fla. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


89 


MR.  G.  D.  MOORE.  FLORIDA  ORANGE  AND  COM- 
MERCIAL PLANT  GROWER. 


While  on  our  Florida  trip  we  stopped  off  at  the 
town  of  Hawthorn,  and  spent  the  day  with  Mr.  G.  D. 
Moore,  “The  Plant  Man.” 

Mr.  Moore  is  a young  man  of  only  26  years,  and 
is  a native  of  Alachua  County.  Florida.  Appreciating 
the  fact,  as  so  many  fail  to  do,  that  “the  rolling  stone 
gathers  no  moss,”  this  enterprising  young  man  is 
sticking  to  “the  home  bush.”  and  to  say  that  he  is 
making  good  expresses  it  but  mildly;  but  the  man  who 
hustles  as  “Guy”  Moore  does  will  make  good  most 
anywhere  under  most  any  circumstances. 

As  a commercial  sweet  potato  plant  grower  we 
would  place  this  young  gentlemen  in  “Class  A”  if 
we  were  called  upon  to  rate  him  on  quality  production. 
Believing  firmly  that  “the  best  is  the  cheapest  in  the 
end.”  he  has  a standard  to  which  his  plants  must 
measure  up  if  they  are  shipped  to  his  customers. 
While  this  quality  requirement  is  costing  him  thous- 
ands of  plants  every  season,  it  is  holding  fast  his  old 
customers  and  making  him  scores  of  new  ones. 

Not  only  is  Mr.  Moore  a quality  producer,  but  he 
is  also  some  quantity  producer  as  well.  Last  season, 
which  was  one  of  the  worst  that  Florida  plant  grow- 
ers have  had  to  contend  with  in  many  years,  he  ship- 
ped to  his  customers  over  TWO  MILLION  sweet  potato 
plants  at  a retail  price  of  .$1.75  a thousand. 

Mr.  Moore  also  grows  great  quantities  of  seed  po- 


no 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


tatoes  every  year  for  his  bedding  purposes  and  to  ship 
to  his  customers  throughout  the  South. 

His  varieties  are  the  "Nancy  Hall.  Porto  Rico  and 
Triumph. 

He  has  his  plant  farm  well  irrigated,  which  great- 
ly increases  the  yield,  and  insures  large,  strong  plants 
very  early  in  the  season. 

Mr.  Moore  informs  us  that  next  season  he  will 
have  connected  to  his  irrigation  plant  a heating  sys- 
tem which  will  enable  him  to  supply  water  to  his 
plant  beds  of  any  temperature  that  may  be  required 
for  quickest  and  best  production  of  his  plants.  We 
see  no  reason  why  such  an  experiment  should  not 
prove  successful : and,  if  it  does,  it  will  mean  much  to 
the  sweet  potato  industry. 

The  shipping  facilities  of  the  town  of  Hawthorn 
are  most  excellent — two  railroads,  the  Seaboard  Air 
Line  and  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line,  with  six  express 
trains  daily.  This  gives  Mr.  Moore  a decided  advant- 
age of  some  of  his  competitors  as  it  insures  prompt  de- 
livery of  his  goods  to  his  customers  at  any  and  all 
points. 

We  commend  Mr.  Moore  to  our  readers  as  a gen- 
tleman who  has  a record  of  fair  and  square  dealing 
with  his  great  host  of  patrons  throughout  the  Southern 
States. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


91 


MR.  H.  H.  MHO  MAS.  OF  EAHLTON,  FLORIDA,  FARM- 
ER AND  COMMERCIAL  PLANT  GROWER. 


About  two  miles  from  Orange  Heights,  bordering 
on  lake  Santafee,  is  one  of  the  prettiest  little  farms  in 
Alachua  County,  Florida.  The  proprietor  of  this  place 
is  one  Mr.  H.  H.  Thomas,  a student  of  the  soil  and  an 
every-day  hustler. 

About  ten  years  ago,  realizing  the  adaptabilities 
of  his  soil  and  having  the  advantage  of  the  waters  of 
Lake  Santafee.  Mr.  Thomas  decided  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion and  efforts  to  plant  life.  He  engaged  only  in  a 
small  way,  at  first,  in  commercial  sweet  potato  plant 
growing.  By  his  new  experiment  Mr.  Thomas  was 
soon  convinced  that  there  was  no  question  as  to  it 
proving  profitable.  From  year  to  year,  since,  his  new 
enterprise  has  grown  until  last  season  he  shipped  to 
Ills  customers  about  3.000,000  sweet  potato  plants  of 
the  Porto  Rico  Yam,  Nancy  Hall  and  Triumph  varie- 
ties at  a retail  price  of  $1.75  per  thousand. 

Mr.  Thomas  has  been  engaged  in  growing  sweet 
potatoes  from  his  boyhood,  and  lias  found  tins  luscious 
tuber  to  be  one  of  (lie  most  profitable  products  of  Flor- 
ida soil.  He  grows  for  marketing  and  bedding  pur- 
poses every  year  about  two  thousand  bushels. 

The  chief  advantage  which  Mr.  Thomas ‘has  over 
many  of  his  competitors,  is  the  surface  water  from 
Lake  Santafee  which  is  used  for  irrigating  Ins  plant 
grounds;  this  gives  him  a decided  advantage  in  yield 
production  as  the  potato  plant  is  at  its  best  under  the 
application  of  surface  water. 

At  his  shipping  point,  Orange  Heights,  during 
shipping  season,  lo  see  the  great  quantity  of  plants 


92 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


rolling  away  by  express  to  points  all  over  the  South 
and  West,  grown  by  this  “Florida  Cracker1’  planter, 
is  a sight  to  behold. 

We  heartily  commend  Mr.  Thomas  to  our  sub- 
scribers as  a gentleman  and  as  one  who  ranks  at  the 
front  as  a Sweet  Potato  and  Commercial  Plant  Grower. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


93 


Mli.  FRED  M.  PRESTON,  OF  PINECASTLE,  FLORIDA. 
COMMERCIAL  PLANT  GROWER  AND 
SHIPPER  OF  CITRUS  FRUITS. 


While  touring  the  State  of  Florida,  gathering  all 
Hie  information  possible  relative  to  the  sweet  potato 
industry,  we  visited  the  little  town  of  Pinecastle,  lo- 
cated on  the  A.  C.  L.  railroad  about  five  miles  south  of 
I lie  city  of  Orlando. 

Here  we  spent  about  four  days  seeing  and  learnin 
much,  as  Pinecastle  is  one  of  the  largest  shippin 
points  of  the  sweet  potato  plant  in  the  South. 

In  the  spirit  of  enterprise  and  progress,  we  would 
he  willing  to  pit  this  little  village  against  any  town 
five  times  its  size. 

Pinecastle  has  one  of  the  most  beautiful  locations 
we  have  ever  seen.  The  town  is  high  and  dry.  and  is 
surrounded  by  crystal  lakes,  whose  waters  are  literally 
alive  with  the  choicest  fish,  providing  a paradise  for 
lovers  of  water  sports. 

So  many  and  various  are  her  advantages,  we 
would  not  be  at  all  surprised  if.  within  the  next  five 
years,  this  little  town  is  able  to  boast  of  a population 
of  two  thousand  people.  That  is  if  the  city  of  Orlando 
does  not  happen  to  incorporate  her  under  a GREATER 
Orlando’s  care  and  keeping.  In  this  event  Pinecastle 
would  become  the  home  of  Orlando’s  ARISTOCRACY. 

This  little  village  is  the  shipping  point  of  eight 
commercial  sweet  potato  plant  industries,  shipping 
every  season  about  TWENTY7  MILLION  sweet  potato 


CJq  CTQ 


94 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


plants  to  customers  throughout  the  Southern  and 
Western  States. 

From  the  month  of  March  to  the  middle  of  July 
it  is  a sight  to  see  the  sweet  potato  plants  rolling  out 
from  the  town  of  Pinecastie.  Most  of  these  shipments 
are  bound  for  points  in  the  South  and  Southwest,  but 
some  of  them  go  as  far  as  the  State  of  California. 

While  Pinecastie  has  only  one  railroad  to  handle 
this  vast  volume  of  business,  with  2 daily  express 
trains  and  emergency  help  provided  by  the  railroads 
during  truck  and  plant  seasons,  the  shippers  are  able 
to  get  their  products  in  transit  just  as  promptly  as  if 
there  were  a dozen  roads  at  .their  service. 

Next  season  the  sweet  potato  plant  growers  of 
Pinecastie  expect  to  increase  their  volume  of  business 
at  least  one  hundred  per  cent.  Judging  front  the  great 
potato  fields  in  that  community,  the  writer  sees  no 
reason  why  they  should  fail  to  realize  on  these  ex- 
pectations. 

Here  we  wish  to  introduce  to  our  readers  Mr.  Fred 
M.  Preston  of  Pinecastie  whose  photograph  appears  on 
the  first  page  of  this  article. 

We  have  a very  grave  charge  to  bring  against  this 
gentleman.  We  charge  that  he  (or  rather  his  success 
and  achievements)  is  largely  responsible  for  what 
spirit  of  envy  and  jealousy  that  exists  among  commer- 
cial plant  growers  in  the  South  today.  Had  he  remain- 
ed in  the  East,  from  whence  he  came,  the  envy  in 
many  of  his  competitors  might  not  have  been  aroused. 
To  say  the  least  of  it,  he  has  certainly  added  much 
fuel  to  the  fire  as  does  every  one  who  EXCELS  in  any 
line.  But  on  the  other  hand  if  this  wizard  of  the  soil, 
and  others  like  Godbey  and  Davis  had  not  casl 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


$5 


|heir  tents  on  Florida  soil,  perhaps  vve  would  nol 
be  able  to  give  our  thousands  of  readers  today  this 
great  volume  of  sweet  potato  knowledge.  The  exper- 
ience and  achievements  of  the  leading  growers  and 
shippers  in  the  sweet  potato  industry  have,  in  a great 
measure,  made  Ibis  book  possible. 

In  any  line  of  enterprise,  we  must  have  men  of 
real  ability,  who  have  unbounded  energy  to  “get-up- 
and-git”  and  bring  things  to  pass.  This  is  Fred  Pres- 
ton of  Pinecastle,  Florida,  "The  Plant  Man." 

Mr.  Preston  was  born  and  reared  in  I lie  State  of 
Massachusetts.  About  six  years  ago  he  came  from 
New  York  City  to  Pinecastle  and  engaged  in  truck 
farming.  Four  years  ago  he  began  commercial  sweet 
potato  plant  growing.  While  Mr.  Preston  is  not  en- 
gaged on  a very  large  scale  in  sweet  potato  plant 
growing  (that  is  he  would  not  be  considered  a great 
quantity  producer)  but  what  he  lacks  in  quantity,  he 
certainly  does  not  fail  to  make  up  in  quality. 

Last  season  Mr.  Preston  shipped  to  his  customers 
about  THREE  MILLION  sweet  potato  plants  from  his 
plant  beds,  and  those  grown  for  him,  at  a retail  price 
of  $1.75  per  thousand  for  most  of  them  f.  o.  b.  shipping- 
point.  His  price  will  be  the  same  next  season. 

His  varieties  are  the  Porto  Rico,  Yellow  Jersey, 
Nancy  Hall  and  Triumph. 

There  is  not  a doubt  but  that  Mr.  Preston  has 
done  as  much  as  any  other  man  in  the  South  to  edu- 
cate the  public  up  to  a greater  appreciation  of  sweet 
potato  VARIETY.  He  has  always  grown  only  the 
choicest;  and  has  done  more  than  any  other  grower  to 


SG 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


introduce  the  famous  Porto  Rico  Yam  into  public 
favor. 

To  insure  the  best  yield  in  both  quantity  and 
quality,  Mr.  Preston  has  his  plant  grounds  well  irri- 
gated, using  the  famous  Skinner  system,  which  as- 
sures a crop  of  healthy,  well  grown  plants  “on  time,” 
enabling  him  to  promptly  comply  with  his  shipping 
promises  to  his  hundreds  of  customers,  whose  orders 
have  been  booked  far  in  advance  of  the  season. 

We  very  heartily  commend  Mr.  Preston  as  “a  man 
on  the  job;”  honest  and  upright  in  all  his  business 
dealings,  and  one  that  can  “deliver  the  Goods.” 


MR.  FRED  M.  PRESTON 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


97 


MESSRS.  T.  W.  BOWEN  & SON,  OF  WALDO.  FLA., 
TRUCKERS  AND  COMMERCIAL  PLANT 
GROWERS. 


As  among  the  most  successful  commercial  plant 
growers,  we  would  call  attention  to  Messrs.  T.  W. 
Rowen  Son  ol‘  Waldo.  Florida. 

While  these  gentlemen  are  engaged  in  trucking 
and  general  plant  growing,  they  make  a specialty  of 
[he  sweet  potato  plant. 

With  fifteen  years  of  experience  in  sweet  potato 
growing,  and  five  years  in  the  propagation  of  its 
plants,  where  the  soil  is  suited  and  the  climate  adapt- 
ed to  its  very  best  production,  Messrs.  Bowen  & Son 
are  in  position  to  furnish  their  customers  with  the 
best  seed  sweet  potatoes  and  plants  that  can  be  pro- 
duced by  any  growers  anywhere. 

Not  long  ago  it  was  our  good  fortune  to  visit  the 
farm  of  these  Northwestern  men.  who  are  more  than 
making  good  on  Florida  dirt,  and  there  we  saw  the 
most  perfect  potato  plants,  of  the  famous  Triumph 
variety,  that  could  possibly  be  produced.  They  were 
the  prettiest  things  we  have  ever  seen  in  the  way  of 
potato  plants. 

We  will  here  state  that  the  art  of  sweet  potato 
plant  growing  is  not  so  simple  nor  easily  acquired,  as 
some  might  think.  Much  study  and  experience  is  nec- 
essary to  become  an  expert  in  plant  growing;  and 
then,  if  the  requisites,  proper  soil  and  climate  are 
lacking,  our  efforts  are  fruitless.  Messrs.  Bowen  & 
Son  know  the  plant  business,  and  the  adaptability  of 


93 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


Alachua  County,  Florida,  in  both  soil  and  climate  can- 
not he  excelled  for  the  sweet  potato  plant. 

These  gentlemen  have  their  plant  grounds  well 
equipped  with  an  irrigating  system,  which  enables 
them  to  put  any  needed  quantity  of  water  to  their 
plant  beds  at  any  time  when  nature  might  withhold 
her  showers  so  essential  to  plant  life,  thereby,  insur- 
ing the  crop  against  shortage  in  production,  which 
would  he  the  inevitable  result  in  the  event  of  a drought, 
if  no  artificial  means  of  watering  were  provided. 

During  last  season  Messrs.  Bowen  & Son  shipped 
to  their  Southern  trade  about  ONE  MILLION  sweet 
potato  plants  of  the  Triumph.  Nancy  Hall  and  Porto 
Rico  Yam  varieties  at  a retail  price  of  $1.75  per  thous- 
and. Next  season  they  hope  to  increase  their  yield  at 
least,  one  hundred  per  cent,  as  they  have  never  been 
able  to  supply  the  demand  for  Ihese  plants. 

We  assure  our  readers  that  they  will  find  these 
gentlemen  upright  and  agreeable  in  their  business 
dealings,  and  that  the  quality  of  their  goods  can  not 
he  excelled 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


99 


PIEDMONT  PLANT  COMPANY. 


R.  P.  DUVERNET,  PRESIDENT;  E.  P.  DUVERNET,  SECRE- 
TARY AND  TREASURER;  GROWERS  AND  SHIPPERS 
OF  VEGETABLE  PLANTS,  GREENVILLE,  S.  C„  AL- 
BANY, GA„  AND  ORLANDO,  FLA. 


Recently  while  in  the  State  of  Florida,  it  was  Hie 
pleasure  of  the  writer  to  visit  the  plant  grounds  of 
the  Piedmont  Plant  Company  near  Orlando,  Florida. 

While  at  this  time  the  potato  plant  season  was 
just  closing,  yet.  judging  from  the  number  of  beds 
from  which  the  plants  of  the  season  had  been  drawn 
it  was  plainly  evident  that  the  Piedmont  Plant  Com- 
pany is  doing  a thriving  business  in  commercial  sweet 
potato  plant  growing  from  their  Florida  shipping 
point. 

Here  we  received  our  introduction  to  the  Cambell 
System  of  irrigating,  and  were  favorably  impressed. 

This  plant  farm  borders  on  a beautiful  lake  from 
which  water  is  used  for  irrigating  the  plant  grounds 
through  the  Cambell  system  of  irrigation. 

The  Piedmont  Plant  Company  was  organized  about 
six  years  ago  to  engage  in  the  general  plant  business, 
and  on  January  1st.  1914,  the  company  was  incorpo- 
rated with  a capital  stock  of  $15,000  which  speaks  for 
the  enterprising  spirit  and  ability  of  those  in  charge 
of  the  company’s  affairs. 

From  the  very  beginning,  six  years  ago,  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Piedmont  Plant  Company  has  grown  by 
leaps  and  bounds  until  last  season  from  sweet  potatoes 
alone  they  grew  and  shipped  to  their  customers 


100 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


throughout  the  South  and  Southwest  about  FOUR  MIL- 
LION plants  of  the  famous  Nancy  Hall.  Porto  Rico, 
Providence  and  Triumph  varieties  at  a retail  price  of 
$1.75  per  thousand. 

And  yet  this  firm  is  just  getting  ready,  so  to 
speak,  to  really  do  business  in  commercial  sweet  pota- 
to plant  growing,  as  they  are  making  preparations  to 
bed  for  plants  next  season  about  six  thousand  bushels 
of  sweet  potatoes  of  the  above  mentioned  varieties. 

The  company  is  going  to  do  its  very  best  to  supply 
their  demand  for  sweet  potato  plants,  which  they 
have  never,  so  far,  been  able  to  do. 

The  Piedmont  Plant  Company  long  ago  establish- 
ed, and  yet  maintains,  a record  of  clean  business  deal- 
ing with  a great  host  of  patrons  throughout  the  South 
and  Southwest;  and  we  heartily  commend  this  firm  to 
our  readers  as  altogether  reliable  and  trustworthy. 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


101 


MR.  J.  R.  DAMS.  OF  RARTOW,  FLORIDA.  TRUCKER, 
COMMERCIAL  PLANT  GROWER  AND  GENERAL 
FARMER. 


“Some  of  my  crop  produced  800  bushels  per  acre 
this  season  and  there  is  not  one  cracked  potato  in  500. 
I set  plants  from  this  potato  (Big  Stem  Jersey)  the  last 
week  in  February  and  shipped  the  crop  July  the  10th 
and  there  were  over  500  bushels  of  selected  potatoes, 
which  sold  for  $1.75  per  bushel  in  New  York,  by  H.  E. 
Schwitters  & Son.  Mr.  Schwitters  complimented  the 
potatoes  very  highly  and  said  he  could  have  sold  a car 
daily.” 

The  above  statement  was  made  by  one  of  the 
largest  truck  farmers  and  commercial  plant  growers 
in  the  South.  Mr.  J.  R.  Davis  of  Bartow.  Florida,  and 
is  quoted  from  his  1914  catalogue. 

This  is,  beyond  a doubt,  evidence  conclusive  that 
this  gentleman  thoroughly  understands  the  sweet  po- 
tato business.  He  knows  where  the  markets  are,  varie- 
ties desired  in  the  different  sections  of  the  country; 
when  to  plant,  when  to  harvest  and  how  to  assort  in 
order  to  get  the  highest  possible  price  for  his  potatoes. 

Mr.  Davis  has  been  a student  of  the  sweet  potato 
for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  on  his  farm  near  Bar- 
tow he  has  made  experiment  after  experiment  with 
the  sweet  potato,  and  the  results  have  been  achieve- 
ments. in  both  quantity  and  quality  production  of  this 
luscious  tuber,  that  are  almost  unbelievable  to  those 
who  do  not  know  J.  R.  Davis  and  something  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  sweet  potato. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a native  of  Georgia,  but  has  for  the 


102 


SWEET  POTATO  CULTURE 


past  30  years  resided  in  the  State  of  Florida.  For  the 
past  20  years  he  has  been  a citizen  of  Polk  County, 
during  which  time  he  has  given  much  attention  to 
truck  growing  and  plant  life. 

We  can  truthfully  say  of  this  progressive  Florida 
planter,  that  few  are  the  men,  in  all  the  South,  whose 
effort  and  ability  have  contributed  so  largely  to  the 
success  of  truck  farming  and  commercial  sweet  potato 
plant  growing. 

We  would  have  our  readers  understand  that  com- 
mercial sweet  potato  growing  is  merely  a side-line 
with  Mr.  Davis;  but  notwithstanding  this  fact,  last  sea- 
son he  grew  about  15.000  bushels  of  sweet  potatoes  and 
produced  from  his  beds  about  7,000,000  potato  plants, 
which  he  shipped  to  his  customers  all  over  the  South 
and  Southwest  at  a retail  price  of  $1.50  per  thous- 
a n d . 

His  varieties  are  the  Nancy  Hall.  Golden  Beauty. 
Porto  Rico,  Big  Stem  Jersey  and  Triumph;  and  of 
these,  his  leaders  are  Nancy  Hall  and  Big  Stem  Jersey. 

Mr.  Davis  is  certainly  the  most  extensive  intensive 
farmer  that  we  have  ever  known.  Besides  Ids  great 
fields  for  the  growing  of  corn,  oats,  potatoes,  etc.,  he 
has  100  acres  under  irrigation  devoted  entirely  to  rota- 
tion truck  crops  and  plant  growing. 

This  gentleman  is  not  only  a wizard  of  the  soil, 
but  is  also  an  author  of  wide  repute,  having  written 
several  books  on  different  phases  of  Ihe  farming  sub 
ject.  “Sweet  Potato  Growing  in  the  South’-  and  “Up- 
to-date  Truck  Farming  in  the  South-’  are  among  bis 
achievements  with  the  pen. 

Recently  while  in  conversation  with  Mr.  Davis 
he  authorized  us  to  inform  our  readers  that  he  would 


FOR  SOUTHERN  PLANTERS 


103 


be  “on  l lie  job"  again  next  season  at  the  same  “old 
lick”,  7.000,000  potato  plants  for  his  hundreds  of  loyal 
customers  throughout  the  Southern  States. 

We  assure  our  readers  that  they  willl  find  Mr. 
Davis  ready,  anxious  and  able  to  carry  out  his  con- 
Iraets  with  his  customers,  and  a very  pleasant  fellow 
to  do  business  with. 


SET  YOUR  SWEET  POTATO  PLANTS 


WITH 

Masters’  Sapid  Plant  Setter ! 

Used  by  thousands  of  “up-to-date”  sweet 
potato  growers  last  spring  with  great  success. 
It  is  the  coming  tool  for  this  work 

Each  plant 

SET,  WATERED, 

AND  COVERED,  in 

ONE  OPERATION. 

Sure  work.  A full  stand  of 
plants  an  no  blanks. 

NO  STOOPING, 

NO  LAME  BACKS. 

Easy  to  operate  and  pleasant 
work. 

Price,  : : $4.00  Each 

Satisfaction  Guaranteed.  For  full  particulars 
write  to 

MASTERS  PLANTER  CO. 

229  N.  State  Street, 

Dept.  No.  101.  CHICAGO,  ILL 


